ADHD appears to be associated with depressed dopamine activity in the brain
...ased dopaminergic activity may also be involved in modulating the magnitude of the reinforcing effects of methylphenidate, they continue. This suggests that dopamine dysfunction is involved with symptoms of inattention but may also contribute to substance abuse comorbidity in ADHD....Brain inflammation may be friend, not foe, for Alzheimer's patients
...rs. The potential to treat Alzheimers disease by modulating the immune system is tremendous and is an area that has not been fully explored, said OBanion. That said, people have to remember that the current findings are in mice, not people. We need to be cautious about how to interpret the results. ...Early switch to an aromatase inhibitor increases survival
...ificant risk associated with tamoxifen. Hormone modulating therapies have made a significant impact on the survival rates of women with estrogen-sensitive breast cancer over the last two decades. The drugs are used as adjuvant to primary surgical treatment for a period of five years. Tamoxifen was the fir...Adding radiation decreases breast cancer recurrence
...initial treatment. Augmenting surgery with hormone modulating drugs, such as tamoxifen, further improves survival and reduces recurrence. Women over 65 are at the highest risk for breast cancer and make up half of those diagnosed. However, they are less likely to receive standard therapy, particularly radiot...Serotonin receptor: A rheostat in brain for emotion that may be linked to depression
...ity of 5-HT1A autoreceptors and, as a consequence, modulating the reactivity of the amygdala. Such shifts may drive the improvements in depressed mood and affect that result from SSRI treatment," explained Dr. Hariri, who plans to conduct additional studies in both healthy volunteers and patients with depressio...Leptin has powerful effect on reward center in the brain
...ch contains dopamine neurons that are important in modulating motivated behavior, addiction and reward. Reducing the function of the leptin receptor in the VTA region resulted in animals that ate too much and were hypersensitive to highly palatable foods. "Interestingly, despite the increase in food intake, t...Imaging study may help point toward more effective smoking cessation treatments
...erebellum called the vermis may be a key factor in modulating the brain's dopamine and reward systems, and may be more involved in drug abuse and addiction than previously thought. "Although craving was only reduced with near total occupancy of these receptors, there remains the question of whether other, les...Virtual realities against pain
...ng the level of involvement of the users, possibly modulating the effectiveness of technological progress. For example, some patients perceive a reduction in their visual field (due to the video helmet) and a loss of awareness of the activities of the medical practitioner, as well as a loss of control, leading ...Patients with history of cancer at increased risk for acquiring and dying from sepsis
...he use of chemotherapy, radiation, or other immune modulating therapy employed to combat the underlying malignancy are some of the reasons for patients' increased susceptibility to sepsis. Dr. Martin says that although sepsis can occur in anyone, there are certain factors that make sepsis more likely. "People o...New technique reduces radiation exposure by 60 percent in abdominal CT of children
... children. The researchers found that on average, modulating the tube current to account for body symmetry reduced the radiation dose by 15% over the usual weight-adjusted dose. In addition, the overall dose reduction from combining the two techniques into one ranged from 14% to 82%, depending on the weight g...Mayo Clinic researchers discover cancer cells may move via wave stimulation
...in tumor cells, indicating they may play a role in modulating or terminating cancer-promoting signals. Persistent cancer-promoting signals in cells lacking waves could subsequently allow them to be more motile and invasive. Waves also are important for cell movement -- at least in normal cells -- by actively re...Combining multiple treatments improves multiple sclerosis therapy
... show that treating MS with combinations of immune modulating drugs can greatly reduce MS disease. The researchers treated the "EAE mouse" model of MS with GA in combination with atorvastatin (Lipitor), a cholesterol-lowering drug shown to improve MS symptoms in clinical trials. Compared to EAE animals treate...Ronald Breslow to receive 2006 Othmer Gold Medal
...tant breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, by modulating gene transcription in cancer cells." Breslow is celebrating his fiftieth anniversary on the faculty of Columbia University, which he joined after undergraduate and graduate training at Harvard. He played a key role in the decision to merge Barnard C...HIV inserts into human genome using a DNA-associated protein
...ure Medicine, describes the first clear target for modulating where viruses insert into the human genome, which has implications for better design of gene-therapy delivery. Retroviral vectors are often used to introduce therapeutic genetic sequences into human chromosomes, such as in the delivery of Factor VIII...Study: Brain structures contribute to asthma
...ws how important specific brain circuits can be in modulating inflammation," says Davidson, director of the affective neuroscience laboratory and the Waisman Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior. "The data suggest potential future targets for the development of drugs and behavioral interventions...Mood lighting: Penn researchers determine role of serotonin in modulating circadian rhythm
...a role in maintaining circadian rhythm, as well as modulating light-related disorders such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Senior author Amita Sehgal, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience at Penn and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, and colleagues report their findings in the July 7 issue ...Bipolar disorder linked to specific brain regions; certain drugs alter brain metabolism
...howed manic bipolar patients may have difficulties modulating the brain regions that monitor task performance, namely, those regions that detect error and promote accurate responses. Dr. Strakowski noticed such difficulties in studies that used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which is useful in m...Placebos can bring emotional relief
...he subjects' expectations, possibly using specific modulating systems."...International conference on bipolar disorder June 16-18 a forum for new research
...have found the region in the brain responsible for modulating task performance and appropriate response is abnormally activated in patients during mania, which may explain the reckless, impulsive behaviors that are typical during this phase of the illness. ...Two studies offer clues about how alcoholic behavior is 'switched' on
...ional Laboratory have published two studies on how modulating receptors for dopamine -- a chemical "signaler" in the brain's reward circuits -- affects drinking behavior in mice and rats. "Stopping alcohol abuse will never be as simple as turning on or off a 'switch,' but finding ways to modulate the brain's r...