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Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
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Good News for Worms
November 21, 2007 1:03 PM
Scientists have been giving antidepressants to roundworms--but wait, please keep reading anyhow. This may lengthen your life.
It turned out that when the worms--C. elegans, a tiny species often used in biology experiments--were given the antidepressant mianserin, they lived about a third longer.
Why? Were the worms happier? They're only about a millimeter in length, on average, and they didn't have much to say. But the researchers--Michael Petrascheck, Xiaolan Ye and Linda Buck of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute--say the medication may have the same benefit as caloric restriction, which has been shown in many species to slow the effects of aging.
Buck et al have been trying 88,000 different compounds on the roundworms to see if they can increase longevity; they've found 115 so far. (More on her work is HERE.) They report on the effects of mianserin in this week's edition of Nature.
Most doctors will caution that caloric restriction has not been clearly proven as a life-lengthener in us humans, but it's drawn researchers and believers--take a look, for instance, at the website of The Calorie Restriction Society. Buck's team hopes to find chemical compounds that have the same effect.
For now, a strictly non-scientific thought: have a good Thanksgiving. The roundworms only live about three weeks anyhow.
November 21, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (9)
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Holy smoke, don't give any of that stuff to war criminal Bush! That worm needs to die off sooner rather than later. Hide the drug, hide the drug dear God!
Posted by: Jazz_jeff | Nov 21, 2007 1:43:40 PM
you do realize the opinion you have of MY country's leader, is that of Osama Bin-ladin and Hugo Chavez's of the world. Nice company you keep.
Posted by: Lisa Marie | Nov 21, 2007 4:02:27 PM
The company I keep don't cause over 3,000 deaths of ordinary decent Americans on the battlefield created by Bushs lies so he can get revenge for his daddy and his oil buddies!
P.S. 78% of America currently thinks along the same track as myself.
Posted by: Jazz_jeff | Nov 21, 2007 5:45:20 PM
This is a marketing scam, people!
Posted by: haly | Nov 21, 2007 5:47:08 PM
What the above testing will mean, its that in the long run, very expensive pills available at some stage in the future. Probably only affordable for the upper-class that always want it all and then some anyway!
For the average person, start saving now for this medication if it becomes a reality.
Posted by: Jazz_jeff | Nov 21, 2007 6:16:27 PM
INTERNET
Posted by: not work safe | Nov 21, 2007 9:15:55 PM
Mianserin is a tetracyclic antidepressant that is similar to the tricyclic anti-depressants (TCAs).
Mianserin works by preventing the re-absorption of noradrenaline back into the nerve cells. It may also act to block certain receptors in the brain that bind released serotonin.
Special precautions side effects
* Closed angle glaucoma
* Decreased kidney function
* Decreased liver function
* Defect of the heart's electrical message pathways resulting in decreased function of the heart (heart block)
* Diabetes
* Elderly people
* Enlarged prostate gland (prostatic hypertrophy)
* People who have recently had a heart attack
Not to be used in
* Breastfeeding
* Children
* Epilepsy
* Mania
* Severe liver disease
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
* This medicine should not be used in pregnancy. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
* The safety of this medicine during breastfeeding has not been established. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. Joint pain (arthralgia)
* Seizures (convulsions)
* Decreased production of blood cells by the bone marrow (bone marrow suppression)
* Dizziness
* Excessive fluid retention in the body tissues, resulting in swelling (oedema)
* A drop in blood pressure that occurs when going from lying down to sitting or standing, which results in dizziness and lightheadedness (postural hypotension)
* A mild degree of mania (hypomania)
* Mild yellowing of the skin and eyes (mild jaundice)
* Breast pain and tenderness or male breast enlargement
* Disturbances of liver function
Posted by: Jim Myers | Nov 22, 2007 12:07:01 AM
If a worm or person is depressed why would they want quantity over quality? I have lived with severe depression all of my life and I take effexor that really helps me for now. I would much rather have good days that were few than lots of days that had the horrible darkness that this disease come with...
Posted by: London | Nov 22, 2007 9:19:54 PM
Eddie thinks the worms are cool. They are his bestfriends.
Posted by: Eddie Moralez | Nov 29, 2007 12:06:13 PM
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