Physical activity has many positive effects on the cardiovascular system, but intense endurance training can also be detrimental. Athletes, especially those with a long training history, are more likely to develop arrhythmias. Sinus bradycardia (a slow resting heart rate) is the most common training-associated arrhythmia. Although it is often a benign physiological adaptation to maintainContinueContinue reading “The heart of an endurance athlete”
Tag Archives: behavior & mood
Lack of sleep impairs courtship in flies
Many young animals, whether human, rat or fruit fly, need lots of sleep. The existence of this trait across diverse taxonomic groups implies some fundamental importance, and some scientists are intrigued enough to take a closer look. What mechanisms allow young animals to sleep so much? And what happens if they sleep less? To addressContinueContinue reading “Lack of sleep impairs courtship in flies”
Reformulating lithium to reduce toxicity
Lithium has been used treat neuropsychiatric illnesses for many years. Formulated as lithium carbonate, it is effective in treating mania in bipolar disorder and in reducing suicides in depressive phases of the disease. But use of lithium carbonate is associated with toxic effects such as hand tremors, diarrhea, vomiting, weight gain and decreased thyroid function.ContinueContinue reading “Reformulating lithium to reduce toxicity”
Dual role of cannabinoid receptors in feeding behavior
Activation of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors is known to increase food intake, but the neuronal mechanisms underlying this relationship are not well understood. The receptors are expressed in many brain regions that control food intake, where they govern both excitatory (GABAergic) and inhibitory (glutamatergic) neurotransmission, in turn possibly suppressing or promoting feeding behavior, respectively.ContinueContinue reading “Dual role of cannabinoid receptors in feeding behavior”
A wake-up call for injured neurons
After suffering a concussion or other traumatic brain injury (TBI), many people (70% or more) experience disturbances in their sleep–wake cycles, such as daytime sleepiness and nighttime insomnia. Such sleep problems can impair attention and memory formation, disrupt quality of life and delay cognitive recovery from TBI. There are currently no proven therapies available toContinueContinue reading “A wake-up call for injured neurons”
Flight of the bumblebee
During flight, insects beat their wings hundreds of times per second, faster than would be possible if their flight muscles worked by contraction, like vertebrate muscles do. How they do this is a matter of some debate, but new data from an x-ray scattering study suggest that insect flight muscle activation relies on a mechanismContinueContinue reading “Flight of the bumblebee”
In working horses, a behavioral model of depression?
A key challenge in research on depression and other mood-related disorders is the availability of appropriate animal models. In addition to the difficulties inherent in assessing mood in animals, the fact that most studies are done in a controlled environment rather than a natural environment may confound interpretation of the results. Hence, some researchers haveContinueContinue reading “In working horses, a behavioral model of depression?”
Easier estimation of an individual’s ‘body time’
For many organisms, including humans, the activity of certain biological processes and the expression of certain genes and proteins fluctuate predictably over a period of roughly 24 hours. These oscillations are maintained by an internal time-keeping mechanism called the circadian clock. ‘Body time’ refers to the setting of each individual’s circadian clock, which can varyContinueContinue reading “Easier estimation of an individual’s ‘body time’”
Social therapy, the new anti-aging buzz?
Like many animals, honeybees (Apis mellifera) suffer from declining brain function as they age. The pace of this decline varies among individuals, partly because of variations in social behavior. Gro V. Amdam (Arizona State University, Tempe, and Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas) and colleagues recently took a closer look at the effects of socialContinueContinue reading “Social therapy, the new anti-aging buzz?”
Just one shot to make quitting a success
Cigarette smoking is a common addiction, largely thanks to nicotine. When inhaled, nicotine passes across the alveoli in the lungs, into the bloodstream, and reaches the brain. There, it results in the production of dopamine, which induces pleasure, reduces stress, alters blood pressure and heart rate, heightens alertness and increases information-processing ability in the smoker.ContinueContinue reading “Just one shot to make quitting a success”
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