Futurity.org » neurobiology

Triggers differ for addicted men, women

Bill Hathaway-Yale — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:54:24 +0000

YALE (US) — The areas of the brain associated with craving have different triggers in cocaine-dependent men and women, a finding that suggests they may benefit from different treatment options.

A study published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry, shows addicted women’s brains are activated by stress—and men’s are activated by drug cues.

Weak synapses may cause lines to blur

Alison Trinidad-USC — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:45:50 +0000

USC (US) — Neurons in the primary visual cortex respond selectively to lines and edges of visual images, allowing the brain to distinguish their orientation, according to a new study.

The research, published in the journal Neuron, focuses on the crucial role inhibitory synapses play in recognizing orientation and may have implications for treating decreased cognitive function in the aging brain.

How neurons say ‘go, mouse, go!’

Bill Steele-Cornell — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:49:53 +0000

CORNELL (US) — A group of spinal cord nerve cells manages running in mice, telling them when to go—and when to go faster.

To learn more about locomotion in animals, researchers created a wiring diagram of locomotor networks in the spinal cord. In most animals, walking and running share common but overlapping processes.

No sleep upends nurses’ circadian clock

David Salisbury-VU — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:29:53 +0000

VANDERBILT (US) — In order to adjust to working the night shift, some nurses stay awake for as many as 12 hours before the shift begins—the worst strategy for adapting their internal clocks.

A new study, based on questionnaires from 388 nurses who work at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, also finds that variations in individuals’ circadian clock genes have a discernable impact on the nurses’ ability to adapt.

Hormone spike in women with PTSD

Beverly Clark-Emory — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:03:30 +0000

EMORY (US) — Women who experience significant shock release high blood levels of a hormone linked to post traumatic stress disorder. The same is not true for men.

The hormone, called PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide), modulates central nervous system activity, metabolism, blood pressure, pain sensitivity and immune function in the body and the brain.

Boys get bigger buzz from caffeine

Lois Baker-Buffalo — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:41:38 +0000

U. BUFFALO (US) — Teen boys appear to get a bigger energy boost from caffeine than girls, and even report better athletic performance.

Those findings are from the first study to demonstrate gender differences in physiological response to acute caffeine in adolescents. Researchers describe the work in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Why waking up is hard to do

Megan Fellman-Northwestern — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:33:19 +0000

NORTHWESTERN (US) — If “five more minutes” is part of your normal morning routine, you can blame it on the absence of the “twenty-four” gene—one of the core genes of the circadian clock.

The circadian clock drives, among other things, when an organism wakes up and when it sleeps. According to new research, the absence of the gene confuses the rhythm of the common fruit fly’s sleep-wake cycle, making it harder for the flies to wake up.

Light sets bioclock for winter babies

David Salisbury-VU — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:34:37 +0000

VANDERBILT (US) — The season in which babies are born appears to have a dramatic and persistent effect on how their biological clocks function.

A study with baby mice published in the journal Nature Neuroscience is one of the first to confirm seasonal imprinting of biological clocks in mammals. The imprinting effect may help explain the fact that people born in winter months have a higher risk of a number of neurological disorders including seasonal affective disorder (winter depression), bipolar depression, and schizophrenia.

Curtailing downside of Parkinson’s drug

Jessica Kelly-Cardiff — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:00:55 +0000

CARDIFF U. (UK) — An overactive pathway inside nerve cells that can be ‘turned down’ has the potential to halt or reduce the uncontrollable movements called dyskinesia, a side effect of a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

While the drug, Levodopa, is one of the best treatments available, dyskinesia is a main problem, causing involuntary movements where bodies distort or arms or legs jerk uncontrollably.

Bigger brain for those who self-reflect

Clare Ryan-UCL — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:15:30 +0000

U. COLLEGE LONDON (UK) — Researchers in the U.K. have identified an area of the brain that is larger in people who are good at reflecting on their own thoughts and emotions.

This ability, known as introspection, is one of the key aspects of consciousness—and of what makes us human—but the biological basis of this process has until now been unknown.