A. A Mathematical Model Offers Insight into Epilepsy
Narrator: This is Science Today. About two-thirds of patients with epilepsy respond to medication, but for those who do not, removal of the part of the brain where the seizures begin may offer a cure. But new University of California, Berkeley research could change that. Mechanical engineer Andrew Szeri created an accurate, mathematical model of the electrical activity that takes place in the brain during a seizure.
Szeri: Because our mathematical model is based on the physiology of the brain, we know what state the mathematical model has to be in order to show the same kinds of seizure dynamics as a patient. So this gives us clues into the underlying causes of the seizure.
Narrator: Szeri explains that just measuring the electrical potential on the surface of the brain doesn't truly uncover the underlying cause of seizures.
Szeri: We hope that the model gives us clues into the underlying causes of this pathological behavior. If we know something about the causes, then we can devise effective treatments, which will hopefully be non-surgical in the long term.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin
B.
An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Makes History
Narrator: This is Science Today. A small unmanned vehicle that travels underwater about half a mile an hour made recent history crossing the Gulf Stream – one of the strongest currents in the world. It's called Spray, and oceanographer Russ Davis of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, helped develop it.
Davis: Spray is like a very small submarine, about six feet long. It has little wings that make it look a little bit more like an airplane than most submarines. It drives its way forward through the ocean by going up and down.
Narrator: Every seven hours for fifteen minutes, Spray surfaces to beam its current location to scientists in Massachusetts and San Diego. There, researchers can record information about the ocean's depth, temperature and salt levels.
Davis: Someday when we do this many times, we'll begin to see first the seasonal variations and how it may change from one decade to another, to help us understand how the biology of the ocean is changing as well as the physics.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C. Efforts to Minimize Surface Runoff to the Salton Sea
Narrator: This is Science Today. The Salton Sea, located in the southeastern corner of California, is the largest body of water in the state and it provides a significant habitat for fish and wildlife. But surface-run off from nearby agricultural production is threatening these habitats. To minimize surface runoff, Khaled Bali, a University of California irrigation and water management expert, has developed improved irrigation practices.
Bali: About 17% of the applied water ends up as surface runoff and all the water ends up in the Salton Sea. So we basically worked on a method where we reduce the surface of run off from the average of 17% to less than about 5%. So we can save about 15% or so of the applied water. At the same time, we reduce the subsurface of drainage and you increase the water table contribution, so you have another source for the crop to use water from the water table.
Narrator: The added benefit of water conservation lowers irrigation costs and increases the availability of good quality water for use elsewhere. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
Study Suggests Changing Age Limit for Prenatal Diagnostic Testing
Narrator: This is Science Today. A University of California, San Francisco study suggests prenatal diagnostic testing, such as amniocentesis, should be offered to all women – regardless of age. Dr. Miriam Kuppermann, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, says the risk of fetal deformities, including Down syndrome, rise with a mother's age, so the current guidelines have age 35 as the cut-off.
Kuppermann: That being an age where it would be cost beneficial to offer the test, as well as the age at which the risk of the procedure – namely the likelihood that it would cause a miscarriage – was the same likelihood that the woman was carrying an affected fetus.
Narrator: The risk of either occurrence is about 1 in 200 – and the assumption is that women consider either outcome to be an equal burden. Kuppermann conducted a study of 500 pregnant women of various ages.
Kuppermann: On average, they found having a child with Down syndrome to be more burdensome than experiencing a procedure-related miscarriage.
Narrator: The researchers also concluded that prenatal diagnostic testing for all women would be cost-effective. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
The Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Heart Disease
Narrator: This is Science Today. Researchers at the University of California Irvine are studying how acupuncture can help your heart. Cardiologist John Longhurst has received a two million dollar grant to continue his research on the underlying physiological basis of acupuncture, and its effects on the cardiovascular system.
Longhurst: We're looking down at the cellular or sub-cellular level to try to determine how acupuncture can influence the cardiovascular system. And we're trying to define the mechanisms by which acupuncture can regulate the sympathetic outflow.
Narrator: Although cardiovascular benefits of acupuncture have previously been observed, the mechanism of action is unknown. Longhurst says this research is the first of its kind to receive federal support and is important in establishing a scientific basis to those observations.
Longhurst: If we can define the mechanisms about how acupuncture works, this will provide important evidence that will help convince physicians and scientists that there really is something to the practice of acupuncture that might be beneficial for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
