First "placebo gene" discovered

merry submitted, created time 1 month 1 day (www.newscientist.com)

For the first time, a gene is being linked to increased susceptibility to the placebo effect – the mysterious capacity some people have to benefit from sham treatments. The participants in one small study were told that they were being given anxiety medicine. Many of the participants' anxiety levels remained the same, but ten people improved dramatically, when tested, it was found that production of certain precursors to seratonin had increased.

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Light Triggers New Code for Brain Cells

piggy submitted, created time 1 month 3 weeks (www.sciencedaily.com)

Brain cells can adopt a new chemical code in response to cues from the outside world, scientists working with tadpoles at the University of California, San Diego report in the journal Nature.

The discovery opens the possibility that brain chemistry could be selectively altered by stimulating specific circuits to remedy low levels of neural chemicals that underlie some human ailments.

Dark tadpoles don pale camouflage when exposed to bright light

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Deal or No Deal?

jerry submitted, created time 6 months 3 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

What if your friend had a large apple pie but gave you only a sliver? Would you throw the piece on the floor in protest? Maybe, depending on your brain chemistry. New research suggests that such emotional decisions can be influenced by a shortage of the neurotransmitter serotonin.

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How to make a zombie cockroach

The immune-mediated alteration of serotonin and glutamate: towards an integrated view of depression

yangjane submitted, created time 1 year 1 month (www.nature.com)

Beside the well-known deficiency in serotonergic neurotransmission as pathophysiological correlate of major depression (MD), recent evidence points to a pivotal role of increased glutamate receptor activation as well. However, cause and interaction of these neurotransmitter alterations are not understood. In this review, we present a hypothesis integrating current concepts of neurotransmission and hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation with findings on immunological alterations and alterations in brain morphology in MD

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Correlation between number of sexual partners and dopamine transporter gene

Hecate submitted, created time 1 year 10 months (www.nature.com)

Men possessing a certain version of the DAT1 gene, which is a "candidate for reward-seeking behavior" (Nature), are shown to have an 80% to 100% increase in number of sexual partners. Although the study involved both men and women, this effect was only seen in men. The DAT1 gene regulates production of a dopamine transfer protein, which regulates the prevalence and duration of effectiveness of the powerful neurotransmitter. Although ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other factors were taken into account, none seemed to affect the outcome

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