Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prolonged stress response to a traumatic event that can impair a person’s ability to function in everyday life. It is associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain and with dysregulation of neurotransmitters (specifically, low levels of serotonin and high levels of norepinephrine). Compounds that increase serotoninContinueContinue reading “Blueberries balance neurotransmitters”
Tag Archives: stress
Desert pupfish hold their breath
Living in the desert might seem like a peculiar strategy for a fish. But 10,000 years ago, the southwestern US was a much wetter place than it is now, covered by water as deep as 100 m that was home to many creatures including pupfish. As the water receded, pupfish became isolated to warm springs,ContinueContinue reading “Desert pupfish hold their breath”
A signal that shifts gut microbial composition
Fluctuations in the composition and diversity of the gut microbial community can affect organismal health in various ways. Low microbial diversity in the gut can increase a person’s susceptibility to potential pathogens, such as Salmonella spp. And changes in the balance between the two bacterial taxa most prominent in the gut, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, areContinueContinue reading “A signal that shifts gut microbial composition”
Adaptive immunity in stress resilience
Mood and behavior are controlled by reciprocal associations between the central nervous system and peripheral systems including the immune system. Lymphocytes, the cells of the adaptive immune system, are affected by chronic stress, but it is not known how ‘stressed’ lymphocytes affect behavior in return. Miles Herkenham and his team at National Institutes of HealthContinueContinue reading “Adaptive immunity in stress resilience”
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’”
Piglets offer a peek at early brain development
Stress during early life can affect human cognitive development, but characterizing these effects is challenging, in part because of a lack of appropriate research subjects. A suitable model would be one whose brain development is similar to that of humans and whose cognitive abilities can be evaluated objectively. Rodney Johnson and his colleagues at UniversityContinueContinue reading “Piglets offer a peek at early brain development”
Refining zebrafish housing for more reliable results
Zebrafish are becoming more common as subjects in neuroscience studies of behavior and in screens for new treatments of behavioral disorders such as addiction, attention deficits and autism spectrum disorders. The fish are small and reproduce prolifically, making it easy and relatively affordable to house large numbers of them in the laboratory. In addition, theyContinueContinue reading “Refining zebrafish housing for more reliable results”
Cannabinoids prevent post-traumatic stress
Previous work by Eti Ganon-Elazar and Irit Akirav (University of Haifa, Israel) suggested that cannabinoids might have a role in treating stress and anxiety disorders. Recently, the two researchers specifically examined post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder whose hallmark symptoms include an exaggerated acoustic startle reflex and enhanced negative feedback on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.ContinueContinue reading “Cannabinoids prevent post-traumatic stress”
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