dopamine

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Insulin: Appetite Suppressant? Researchers Say Maybe

First study of insulin's direct effect on behavior

(Newser) - Even people who don't have diabetes may some day take insulin if the findings from a small new study hold. Researchers report in the journal Nature Communications that, in what may be the first study to look at how insulin impacts behavior, the hormone may suppress one's appetite....

Dudes, All That Gaming Is Affecting Your Sex Drive
Two Ways Video Games
Affect a Man's Sex Drive
new study
Jun 16, 2017 10:36 AM CDT

Two Ways Video Games Affect a Man's Sex Drive

They have less interest, but less of a common problem, too, says study

(Newser) - For guys who game, researchers have good news and bad news. The good news is that guys who play video games "chronically," which at least for the purpose of one new study is defined as more than an hour a day, are less likely to ejaculate prematurely than...

Trio of Supplements Could Fend Off Baby Blues
Baby Blues
Are Common.
Solution Could
Be Simple
new study
Mar 15, 2017 7:57 AM CDT

Baby Blues Are Common. Solution Could Be Simple

A trio of supplements, taken for just 3 days, might have dramatic results

(Newser) - Could new mothers fight off the baby blues by taking a trio of supplements? Researchers at Canada's Center for Addiction and Mental Health are reporting in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that their small new study suggests so, and they say there's something novel...

Your Medication Could Be Making You More Selfish
Your Medication Could Be Making You More Selfish
NEW STUDY
Jul 8, 2015 7:40 AM CDT

Your Medication Could Be Making You More Selfish

Two common drugs alter a person's moral compass: study

(Newser) - Medications do more than treat an illness: Certain ones may also make you more considerate or selfish. A new study finds two common medications, an antidepressant and a treatment for Parkinson's disease, actually alter your moral compass, reports Medical Daily . Researchers assigned 89 healthy people a dose of the...

Scientists Find Way to Kill Pot Addiction—in Monkeys

Treatment blocked effects of THC

(Newser) - Scientists searching for ways to help people quit smoking pot have come up with an effective new buzz killer. The treatment involves a naturally occurring chemical that blocks marijuana's effect on the brain's pleasure centers, Smithsonian magazine explains. Researchers say the kynurenic acid treatment was able to block...

Beer Drinkers Get Giddy at Mere Taste

 Beer Drinkers 
 Get Giddy at 
 Mere Taste 
in case you missed it
Apr 20, 2013 12:30 PM CDT

Beer Drinkers Get Giddy at Mere Taste

Dopamine kicks in even before alcohol registers

(Newser) - Beer drinkers start feeling happy at the smallest sip, even before any alcohol registers, a new study suggests. Indiana University researchers found that dopamine levels in the brain rose when drinkers had just a tiny amount of beer, before any alcohol buzz was possible, reports LiveScience . The not-so-funny part: Dopamine...

Strep Throat Linked to OCD, Tics
 Strep Throat 
 Linked to 
 OCD, Tics 
in case you missed it
Dec 17, 2011 7:00 PM CST

Strep Throat Linked to OCD, Tics

Bacteria may unleash host of neurological problems in some

(Newser) - Strep may be causing much more than a sore throat among children. The powerful bacteria could be triggering a host of neurological problems from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to nervous tics, anorexia, and hyperactivity, some scientists believe. Millions of US children develop strep throat each year, and most cases are quickly...

Can't Stay Faithful? Blame Your DNA

Doctors link gene to uncommitted sex

(Newser) - Have a tendency to cheat or sleep around? It may not be your fault. A new study shows that people with a particular version of the dopamine receptor gene DRD4 are more likely to be unfaithful or have one-night stands, LiveScience reports. The same gene has already been linked to...

Genetics Could Make You a Liberal
Genetics Could Make You a Liberal
Oct 28, 2010 7:51 AM CDT

Genetics Could Make You a Liberal

...but only if you had a lot of friends in high school, finds study

(Newser) - Is political ideology something you’re born with? Scientists have uncovered a gene that predisposes people to be liberals—provided they had a lot of friends in high school. The study, conducted at UC San Diego and Harvard, matched 2,000 subjects’ genetic information with maps of their social networks,...

Study: Junk Food Addiction is Real

Brain chemistry changed in binge-eating rats

(Newser) - Junk food can be as addictive as cocaine and causes similar changes in the brain, according to a new study. Researchers found that rats given unlimited access to high-calorie food like candy bars and cheesecake not only became obese very quickly, they continued gorging even when they know doing so...

Dopamine: Produces the Rush, Not the Pleasure
Dopamine: Produces the Rush, Not the Pleasure
chemical revisited
Oct 27, 2009 10:23 AM CDT

Dopamine: Produces the Rush, Not the Pleasure

The "it" neurotransmitter stimulates drive, not good feeling

(Newser) - Dopamine has become the decade’s “it” neurotransmitter, just as serotonin was in the ‘90s. But the popular image of dopamine as the brain chemical in charge of making us feel good, and hooking us on craving that feeling, a “Bacchus in the brain,” is misleading...

Police Brutality? It Could Just Be Excited Delirium

Research may help clear cops who end up with dead perps

(Newser) - New research could help exonerate police officers accused of using excessive force to restrain unruly perpetrators, New Scientist reports. So far the American Medical Association has not recognized “excited delirium,” a condition describing an agitated, combative person who exhibits superhuman strength and high body temperature—a rare condition...

Got a Temper? Blame Your Genes

(Newser) - Why some people get steamed while others stay cool depends on which version of a certain gene they carry, the Daily Telegraph reports. German scientists isolated a gene that affects dopamine levels. In a study, people with the least common variation showed little anger. Those with the other two mutations...

Parkinson's Treatment Shows Promise in Mice

(Newser) - Potential good news for Parkinson's patients: An experimental treatment on mice that involves implanting electrodes on the spinal cord had great success, Reuters reports. Mice that received the so-called stimulator were able to move more easily. Human trials are expected to start next year, and they could lead the way...

Fast Thinking Makes People Happy

Rapid thoughts can make people feel happier

(Newser) - Happy people think fast thoughts, say researchers at Princeton and Harvard. They asked two groups to perform the same tasks—problem-solving, reading, and watching TV—at different speeds. Those forced to move along briskly felt more elated, creative, even powerful, Scientific American reports. The findings suggest a crossword puzzle or...

Single Nerve Cell Can Hold a Memory: Study

New findings may shed light on addiction, memory disorders

(Newser) - Individual neurons in the brain can hang on to memories for a minute or longer, a new study finds. Something like a computer’s temporary random access memory (RAM), this working memory is what allows you to keep a phone number in your head for a few seconds, then forget...

Quit Smoking? Yes We Can!
 Quit Smoking? Yes We Can! 
Dec 29, 2008 10:29 AM CST

Quit Smoking? Yes We Can!

President-elect's struggle with nicotine could help others kick the habit

(Newser) - Barack Obama is about to become the nation's smoker-in-chief, and anti-smoking advocates are hopeful he'll become a powerful example for other smokers if he finally manages to kick the habit. He has quit several times but so far has always gone back to smoking up to eight cigarettes a day,...

Study Paves Way for 'Entrepreneur Pill'

Start-up bosses seen to make tough calls under stress; researchers see hormone link

(Newser) - A study that links entrepreneurial success to risky decision-making, a trait less prevalent among buttoned-up business managers, has scientists pondering whether a pill could boost enterprising behavior. Riskiness is associated with the hormone dopamine, which could inject chutzpah into hesitant managers, the Telegraph reports. Critics doubt chemicals are solely responsible,...

Brain Offers a Clue on Why Obese People Eat More

(Newser) - New research takes an accepted truth about obese people and flips it upside down: They may, in fact, get less pleasure out of eating than people of normal weight, the LA Times reports. Researchers found that people who have weaker reward circuitry in the brain tend to overeat. Thus, while...

Parkinson's Drugs Trigger Compulsive Behavior

Patients report sudden onset of addictions

(Newser) - Drugs for Parkinson's disease can be enormously beneficial, relieving patients' tremors and rigid muscles. But some patients are now complaining of an unusual side effect—extreme compulsive behavior. One woman began taking Mirapex to combat symptoms and suddenly found herself with a $200-a-day scratch-off lottery ticket habit, reports the Chicago ...

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