A Sampling of Clips for February 11^th, 2009

* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office

Brain Scan May Reveal Risk for Alzheimer's Disease
CNN, Feb. 10 -- Key structural changes have been identified in the brain images of some patients with mild cognitive impairment which could help determine who's at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at UCSD studied MRI scans of 84 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 175 patients with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, and 139 images of healthy brains. More

Where Are Old Memories Stored in the Brain?
Scientific American, Feb. 10 -- Current thinking holds that new memories are encoded in the hippocampus and then eventually transferred to the frontal lobes for long-term storage. A new study, led by Christine Smith and Larry Squire at UCSD, now provides evidence that the age of a memory determines the extent to which we are dependent on the frontal cortex and hippocampus for recalling it. In other words, the location of a recollection in the brain varies based on how old that recollection is. More

Scientists Hope Stimulus Will Give Jolt to Research
NPR, Feb. 11 -- The stimulus package contains billions of dollars of funding for the National Institutes of Health — money that could create a quick financial jolt for young workers and university towns. (Quotes Stefanie Otto, 29, who is right in the middle of a postdoctoral research project at UCSD) More

The Truth About Stimulus and the Depression
Fortune Magazine, Feb. 11 -- You often hear President Obama's stimulus plan referred to as the new New Deal. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that some critics of the stimulus aren't big fans of Franklin Roosevelt either. In fact, if you've been following the debate, you may have heard a surprising number of people put forth the notion that the New Deal actually prolonged the Great Depression. (Quotes UCSD economist Valerie Ramey) More

For Some Mexican Soccer Fans, an Unnatural Development
Chicago Tribune, Feb. 11 -- Soccer fans on both sides of the border will be glued to Wednesday's grudge match between the national teams of the U.S. and Mexico. The Mexican side will include three naturalized citizens—players who became Mexican citizens not through birth but through paperwork. There is a growing flap in Mexico about whether they are "true Mexicans" and whether they deserve to play on the beloved national team known as El Tri. (Quotes David Keyes, a researcher at the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UCSD) More

Computer Modeling Helps Pediatric Heart Surgeons
KPBS, Feb 10 -- An aerospace engineer at UCSD has come up with a set of computer modeling tools designed to help pediatric heart surgeons. UCSD engineer Alison Marsden says it starts with getting MRI image data from the patient. She then builds a three-D model of the patient's anatomy. Next, Marsden runs a simulation of their blood flow, and throws in some variables. More

Physics for Presidents
Voice of San Diego, Feb. 10 -- I spent an interesting Monday evening at UCSD listening to Richard A. Muller, the man who wants President Obama and other world leaders to not only be able to navigate the geopolitical road map, but know at least a little about physics as well. More

* Subscribe with In the News and receive our clips automatically