A possible role of the hormone oxytocin in men and women with hypersexual disorder has been revealed in a new study[1]. The finding could potentially open the door to treating the disorder by engineering a way to suppress its activity. Hypersexual disorder, also referred to as sexual addiction[2], or an overactive sex drive, is recognized…
Category: Psychiatry
Childhood Behavior Linked To Taking Acetaminophen In Pregnancy
An association between paracetamol intake and hyperactivity and attention problems has been identified in a new study. The research investigated if there were any effects of taking paracetamol in mid-pregnancy and the behaviour of the offspring between the ages of 6 months and 11 years, with memory and IQ tested up until the age of…
Daytime Brain Activity Strength Drives Need For Sleep
The intensity of brain activity during the day, regardless of how long we’ve been awake, appears to escalate our requirements for sleep, according to a new University College London study in zebrafish. The research found a gene that responds to brain activity in order to coordinate the need for sleep. It helps shed new light…
What Multilingual Nuns Can Tell Us About Dementia
A solid ability in languages may help lessen the risk of developing dementia, a new University of Waterloo study[1] indicates. The work, led by Suzanne Tyas, a public health professor at Waterloo, investigated the health outcomes of 325 Roman Catholic nuns who were members of the Sisters of Notre Dame in the United States. The…
Does Osteocalcin, Not Adrenaline, Drive Fight Or Flight Response?
The “fight or flight” response, is commonly believed to be triggered in part by the hormone adrenaline. But a new study[1] from researchers at Columbia University suggests that bony vertebrates are not able to produce this response to danger without the skeleton. The researchers found in mice and humans that almost immediately after the brain…
Higher Risk Of Stroke, Heart Attack Linked To Long-term Use Of Antidepressants
The longest stringent studies of antidepressants’ safety and efficacy only followed patients for only a couple of years. Yet a greater number of Americans are taking antidepressants like Paxil and Prozac for prolonged periods of time. According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a quarter of people on the medications have used…
How Serotonin And Prozac Affect The Gut’s Microbiota
Serotonin and drugs that target serotonin, such as anti-depressants, can have a major effect on the gut’s microbiota, a new study[1] in mice led by UCLA biologists strongly suggests. An estimated 90 percent of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, where it influences gut immunity. The team — led by senior author Elaine…
Married People Are Less Likely To Develop Dementia
New research suggests that married people are less likely to experience dementia as they age. On the other hand, divorcees are about twice as likely as married people to develop dementia, the study[1] indicates, with divorced men showing a greater disadvantage than divorced women. “This research is important because the number of unmarried older adults…
Neurobiological Mechanisms Behind Schizophrenia May Depend On Gender
The neurobiological pathophysiology of schizophrenia differs significantly between males and females, a new study indicates. The findings suggest a possible need for more sex-specific treatments for schizophrenia. The study was the first to identify a number of sex-specific genes related to schizophrenia using neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Co-ordinated by the University of…