ucsdhealthsciences:

Could “Love Hormone” Help Treat Depression?

Gazing into your lover’s eyes isn’t only romantic; it also releases a brain chemical called oxytocin that strengthens social bonds in a variety of species.  For some people who suffer from depression, the so-called “hormone of love” might hold out hope. Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine are conducting a clinical trial to study whether oxytocin – the brain hormone released with touches, hugs, or when a mother and her newborn baby bond – might help patients with depression.

“In humans, oxytocin is released when they hug or experience other pleasant physical touch, and it plays a part in the human sexual response cycle,” said Kai MacDonald, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

MacDonald went on to explain that oxytocin appears to change the brain signals related to social recognition via facial expressions, perhaps by changing the firing of the amygdala, the part of the brain that plays a primary role in the processing of important emotional stimuli.  In this way, oxytocin in the brain may be a potent mediator of human social behavior. 

“That’s why oxytocin is sometimes called ‘the love hormone,’” said MacDonald.  “It’s said that the eyes are the window to the soul…they certainly are the window to the emotional brain.  We know that the eye-to-eye communication, which is affected by oxytocin, is critical to intimate emotional communication for all kind of emotions – love, fear, trust, anxiety.”

UC San Diego researchers have previously discovered that oxytocin may help patients with schizophrenia, and MacDonald and colleague David Feifel, MD, PhD, UCSD professor of psychiatry, are now enrolling participants to examine its role in clinical depression. 

“Studies of blood levels and genetic factors in depressed patients point to the possibility that this natural hormone might play a part in helping clinical depression,” said MacDonald. “Previously, studies of healthy individuals have shown that intranasal doses of oxytocin reduce activation of brain circuits involved in fear, increase levels of eye contact, and increase both trust and generosity,” MacDonald said. “Interestingly, people given oxytocin don’t report feeling any different, but they act differently.”

Early clinical data also indicates oxytocin may help women with anxiety disorders. 

“A hug or a touch that causes a release of this hormone might somehow change brain signals,” MacDonald said.

alchymista:

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has manufactured a superhydrophobic coating, as seen being implemented on this mesh door. With its extremely waterproof properties, droplets of water are unable to absorb into the mesh, and thus bead up and roll off.

AWESOME!

micro-scopic:

Spinal Cord, Sheep, Motor Neuron, Glia  (LFC stain)

alchymista:

Caffeine Alters Estrogen Levels in Younger Women

With about 90% of women aged 18-44 drinking one or two cups of coffee everyday, one has to wonder what effects this could be having on our health, besides the usually intended energy boost. A recent study looked at the estrogen levels in women in this age group to see if that daily cup of joe really made a difference. And, as it turns out, it does.

The women, who were drinking on average 900mg of caffeine a day, were monitored over two menstrual cycles. While most women were affected by the caffeine intake, how so actually depended on race.

Asian and African American women who consumed more than 200mg a day were actually determined to have higher estrogen levels than they did at the commencement of the study, though the estrogen increase of the African American women was not nearly as significant as that of the Asian women. On the other hand, caucasian women had the opposite effect, with their estrogen levels decreasing. 

While the possible reasonings as to why the effects differed by race remain unknown, when tested with other caffeinated beverages, such as green tea and sodas, estrogen levels in all of the women increased, regardless of race.

Now, should we be worried? Well, women in this age group who have already had children don’t have to worry, as a difference was not statistically notable. As for the rest, The New York Times reports “while healthy, premenopausal women should not worry about caffeine intake in the short term, more research was needed to see if there could be a cumulative impact over many years or decades.”

milesian:

Fractals in Physiology 

“The heart is filled with fractal networks - in the coronary arteries and veins the fibers binding the valves to the heart wall, the cardiac muscles themselves.”

These fractal systems act to protect against injury - and are the key characteristic to the circulatory system - holding the entire structure together despite the strength of pumping. They are the basis for the structure of the lungs. Fractals allow us to live.

radiologyreview:

Anatomy of the Eye

Source = The Requisites, Neuroradiology 3rd edition, p 324