Why science reporters should do their homework

http://networkedblogs.com/a5D74

"One of the most significant medical advancements of the last few decades has been the use of cholesterol-lowering medications called statins. These drugs, when used properly, have been shown over and over to lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death. But like all drugs, they have many effects, both those we like (preventing heart attacks) and those we don’t (in this case, rare liver and muscle problems); the latter we call “side-effects”. Studies done on drugs before they hit the market can identify common side-effects, but it’s not until many more people are exposed for a long period of time that rare side-effects show up.

A recent Scientific American article wondered if one of these rare side-effects could be memory problems. At first glance, the idea seems pretty improbable, but the SI article takes some sketchy anecdotes and runs with the idea, managing to cobble together an interesting hypothesis:

It is not crazy to connect cholesterol-modifying drugs with cognition; after all, one quarter of the body’s cholesterol is found in the brain. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that, among other things, provides structure to the body’s cell membranes. High levels of cholesterol in the blood create a risk for heart disease, because the molecules that transport cholesterol can damage arteries and cause blockages. In the brain, however, cholesterol plays a crucial role in the formation of neuronal connections—the vital links that underlie memory and learning. Quick thinking and rapid reaction times depend on cholesterol, too, because the waxy molecules are the building blocks of the sheaths that insulate neurons and speed up electrical transmissions.

It’s not crazy to connect cholesterol-modifying drugs with cognition, but it’s quite a stretch. We do know that statins affect the central nervous system. They’ve been proven to reduce the risk of stroke, a devastating central nervous system disease. If they can prevent brain disease, might they also cause it? We have some ideas about why statins prevent strokes: they lower cholesterol and stabilize arterial plaques, perhaps by reducing inflammation in these plaques. They can even cause plaques in some arteries to shrink. Is there a plausible hypothesis as to why statins might cause memory problems? What is being posited is that statins actually reduce cholesterol levels so much that cell membranes are damaged and neuronal saltatory conduction* is impaired. If this were the case, we might also expect to find cognitive differences when comparing people with high and low cholesterol levels, or to see cognition affected by cholesterol-lowering diets. This is not the case.


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Bad science reporting is running as rampant as bad political reporting. Interestingly, blogs are picking up the slack for science, just like they are with politics.

B-) :smoke:

he's mentioned in the Scientific American article
he's an MD who had total global amnesia from statins

never states that the idea of statins causing cognitive dysfunction is anything other than a theory.

Blogger PalMD says there is no evidence for the theory.



While stating unequivically that there is no conclusive evidence, the author does cite five different published studies that support the nascent theory:

1. Two small trials published in 2000 and 2004 by Matthew Muldoon, a clinical pharmacologist at the University of Pittsburgh, that seem to suggest a link between statins and cognitive problems
   
   
2. A study published in 2003 in Reviews of Therapeutics
   
   
3. A 2006 study published by geneticist Georgirene Vladutiu of the University at Buffalo
   
   
4. A 2009 Pharmacotherapy study published by Golomb and Marcella A. Evans, a graduate student at the University of California, Irvine, that analyzed the characteristics of 171 statin users who reported cognitive side effects

While most scientific reporting is crap, Scientific American does have a high standard. Melinda Wenner Moyer at least has a BS in Cell and Molecular Biology.

"PalMD", the author of the post that criticized her reporting, is an anonymous blogger who may or may not actually be a credentialed doctor.

Complete Scientific American Article on Statins and Memory

Citing studies is not the same as citing studies that actually back up one's theory. SA has no business putting forth BS theories, in the first place.

Have a nice day.

:hi: