Research helps explain why perception of pleasure decreases with chronic cocaine use
...lation of cocaine intake. The persistence of this pleasure deficit after stopping prolonged cocaine use may b...sregulation of brain reward function. Changes in pleasure thresholds were only observed in animals that developed excessive levels of cocaine intake. Those t...Peto and Doll win King Olav Vs Prize for Outstanding Cancer Research
...hysicians was concluded in 2001. "It is with great pleasure we present this extraordinary prize to these eminent cancer researchers. The results of the studies conducted by Sir Richard Doll and Sir Richard Peto have resulted in a huge body of knowledge to reinforce our work to combat tobacco. Anti-tobacco eff...Dopamine may play role in cue-induced craving distinct from its role regulating reward effects
...e for the reward without necessarily enhancing the pleasure of the reward itself. Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to measure changes in dopamine in the brains of 10 healthy adults (eight men and two women) during food and neutral stimulations. Food stimulation consisted of the participants viewing...Cancer patients' loss of taste, smell compromises treatment
...y excited about this study because it improves the pleasure they derive from food and it can positively impact performance status."...New patient survey puts a human face on overcoming depression
...ssion of depression symptoms allows people to take pleasure again in the activities most meaningful to them, w...ey reported: nearly a five-fold increase in taking pleasure in everyday life, from 20 to 96 percent; more than a three-fold increase in laughing a lot, from 29 ...Exploring the brain chemistry of people at risk for alcohol disorders
... responds to alcohol and also produces feelings of pleasure when good things happen. Scientists believe the ability of the amygdala to react to emotional events is associated with how much dopamine is being released by specialized dopamine neurons. For this study, researchers examined the emotional respons...Medicalising sex damages relationships
...y is also being harnessed to enhance female sexual pleasure and improve aesthetics. In America, erectile dysfunction is estimated to affect half of men aged 40-70 and 70% of men over 70. This high level of sexual dysfunction may simply reflect peoples expectations and feelings of inadequacy in the light of th...Alcohol and nicotine: A deadly duo
... increase their pleasure, noted Tizabi. Increased pleasure is reflected by the increased dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. That lower doses have additive effects implies that the pleasurable effects, in terms of dopamine release, are additive. However, with higher doses, the dopamine release might have ma...Lack of inhibition strengthens nicotine addiction
...work, McGehee's team showed that nicotine produces pleasure by attaching to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor found on certain nerve cells. In response to nicotine, these nerve cells release a chemical signal called glutamate that tells connected neurons to release dopamine. The more these nerve cells ar...Aftermath of September 11th on creativity: Psychoanalysts host major literary figures
...igence, resulting in a turning away from aesthetic pleasure and creativity. "At a time when many are still fee...vance, inhibition of ability to fantasize, loss of pleasure in creativity? * What is optimal distance, and how is it conceptualized differently in writing ficti...New depression and anxiety treatment goals defined
...ricans each year. Depression causes people to lose pleasure from daily life, can complicate other medical conditions and can be serious enough to lead to suicide. Fewer than half of those suffering from this illness seek treatment. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects about four million Americans every...Scientists find link between dopamine and obesity
...subjects might be able to stimulate their dopamine pleasure and satisfaction circuits, the researchers suggest. "In animal studies conducted elsewhere, exercise has been found to increase dopamine release and to raise the number of dopamine receptors," Volkow says. This suggests that obese people might be abl...Vacations may improve your health
...oing on vacation may be more than just a frivolous pleasure -- it may actually be good for your health, according to a study of men at high risk for heart disease. "Vacations may not only be enjoyable, but also health promoting," said study co-author Brooks B. Gump, PhD, of the Department of Psychology at th...Fine-tuning naltrexone treatment for alcoholics
...begins to identify that, for at least blocking the pleasure associated with drinking, doses higher than 50 milligrams may be helpful for some people. There seems to be a huge individual variability in how naltrexone is metabolized, so those people who may be the more rapid metabolizers may benefit from highe...Testosterone skin patch improves sexual functioning in surgically menopausal women
...tioning - including desire, arousal, activity and pleasure - as well as an evaluation of overall psychologica... The women reported increased sexual activity and pleasure in all three treatment periods, including placebo, but significantly greater improvement was seen ...Drug-psychotherapy combo found highly effective in depression study
... than 20 years that they could sustain pleasure and function fully at work and with families and friends." The study is the largest ever undertaken of medication alone, psychotherapy alone and an aggregate of the two, to treat chronic forms of major depression. The psychot...Drug that curbs nicotine craving may do same for cocaine
...ially that of other drugs, to generate feelings of pleasure in the brain. Levin said it works by occupyi...lable amounts of dopamine and thereby increase the pleasure sensation, said Jed Rose, chief of the Nicotine Research Program at Duke and study co-author. Eventu...New quit strategy offers smokers more pleasure, less risk
..., more nicotine remains in the bloodstream and the pleasure smokers get from a cigarette lasts longer. As a result, smokers may light up less frequently. Blocking the enzyme also prevents activation of carcinogenic substances in tobacco smoke. "Smoking is a regulated behavior," Sellers said. "People will not ...Common pathway found in early stages of addiction to alcohol and many drugs
...iliar setting is associated with the experience of pleasure from alcohol. If this proves to be true, she says, then blocking this component of learning could contribute to treating addiction. Colleagues in the research and co-authors with Carmarini on the paper are Roberto Frussa-Filho, Maristela Goldnade......chemicals that are responsible for our feelings of pleasure andwell-being. At the same time, it promotes the... anddepression. In combination, the depletion of pleasure chemicals and thestimulation of stress chemicals creates a persisting chemical imbalance thatleaves ...