Scientists identify connection between dopamine and behavior related to pain a...
Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have for the first time found direct causal links between the neurotransmitter dopamine and avoidance - behavior related to pain and fear. Researchers have long known that dopamine plays a key role in driving behavior related to pleasurable goals, such as food, sex and social interaction. In general, increasing dopamine boosts the drive t ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
Let it go: Mental breaks after work improve sleep
WASHINGTON -- If you ve had a bad day at work thanks to rude colleagues, doing something fun and relaxing after you punch out could net you a better night s sleep. That was the key finding of research that appears in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology , published by the American Psychological Association. Sleep quality is crucial because sleep plays a major role in how employees perform ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
Online ads help pregnant smokers quit
Online ads encouraging pregnant smokers to take up stop-smoking support could be more effective at reaching women than advice delivered in a clinical setting - according to new research involving the University of East Anglia. A new NIHR-funded study reveals that commercial online advertising about cessation support could engage large numbers of women earlier in their pregnancies, and at a lower c ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
Decision-making predicts future drug addiction in recreational users
Activity in decision-making brain regions of people who use recreational stimulants predicts who will discontinue use and who will develop a drug use disorder, according to a new study led by Martin Paulus, Ph.D., of Laureate Institute of Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The study, which appears in Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging , measured brain activity in young adu ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
Medical doctors remain trapped in their substance-use disorders
Fear of dismissal or of losing their authorisation keeps medical doctors trapped in their substance use disorders, and instead of seeking help they attempt self-treatment. This is shown by a new study from Aarhus University. It is just as difficult for the individual medical doctor to ask for help with his or her substance use disorder as it is for their colleagues to help. A new study documents h ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
New vaccine could help people overcome bath salts abuse
Researchers have developed a vaccine for one of the most dangerous types of synthetic cathinones, or bath salts. The vaccine blunts the illegal stimulant s effects on the brain, which could help recovering drug users who experience a relapse. Samantha McClenahan, a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will present test results for the new vaccine at the American Soc ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
A neurobiological link between PTSD and addiction
Recalling traumatic memories enhances the rewarding effects of morphine in male rats, finds new research published in JNeurosci . These findings may help to explain the co-occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD and addiction. More than half of PTSD patients also struggle with substance abuse, yet the underlying neural mechanisms of their addiction are not clear. Dopamine receptors in th ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
Researchers identify brain mechanism linking PTSD and opioid addiction
Researchers at Western University have shown that the recall of traumatic memories enhances the rewarding effects of morphine, shedding light on the neurobiological link between post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD and opioid addiction. Steven Laviolette, PhD, associate professor at Western s Schulich School of Medicine Dentistry says the research was aimed at finding the underlying neural mechanis ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 23
|
Top 5 reasons you should go on a social media detox
In today s world, social media is central to our lives. It helps us to stay in touch with our friends, promote our work, and follow the latest news. How do these networks impact our mental and physical health Is it time to take a break from being permanently online
Medical News Today - Mon. Apr 16
|
Mental health risk higher for transgender youth
A new study suggests that transgender and gender non-conforming children and adolescents may be more likely to develop depression and other mental health conditions, compared with individuals whose gender identity matches their assigned gender at birth.
Medical News Today - Mon. Apr 16
|
Transgender youth more often diagnosed with mental health conditions
Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth are diagnosed with mental health conditions much more frequently than young people who identify with the gender they are assigned at birth, according to new Kaiser Permanente research published today in Pediatrics . While this subject has been analyzed in small, specialized, clinic-based studies that rely on self-reported behavior problems, this large coh ...
EurekAlert - Mon. Apr 16
|
Transgender Kids Face High Risk of Mental Health Woes
Children and teens who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health woes, new research suggests. People who are transgender or gender non-conforming have a gender identity that s different from the one they were at birth. For some, this may mean a gender identity that s opposite the sex they were at birth. For others, it may mean not identifyi ...
Healthday - Mon. Apr 16
|