Eating fish can make you less
aggressive
Washington: A new study has revealed
that Omega-3 fatty
acids and vitamin D may control the brain serotonin. In a new
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) study, serotonin is
explained as the possible missing link tying together why vitamin D and marine
omega-3 fatty acids might ameliorate the symptoms associated with a broad array
of brain disorders.
Here they discuss the relevance of
these micronutrients for neuropsychiatric illness. Serotonin affects a
wide-range of cognitive functions and behaviors including mood,
decision-making, social behavior, impulsive behavior, and even plays a role in
social decision-making by keeping in check aggressive social responses or
impulsive behavior.
Many clinical disorders, such as autism
spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression share as a unifying attribute
low brain serotonin.
Rhonda Patrick said that they explained
how serotonin is a critical modulator of executive function, impulse control,
sensory gating, and pro-social behavior and linked serotonin production and
function to vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, suggesting one way these
important micronutrients help the brain function and affect the way people
behave.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) increases
serotonin release from presynaptic neurons by reducing inflammatory signaling
molecules in the brain known as E2 series prostaglandins, which inhibit
serotonin release and suggests how inflammation may negatively impact serotonin
in the brain.
Their paper illuminates the mechanistic
links that explain why low vitamin D and marine omega-3 deficiencies interacts
with genetic pathways, such as the serotonin pathway, that are important for
brain development, social cognition, and decision-making, and how these
gene-micronutrient interactions may influence neuropsychiatric outcomes.
Bruce Ames added that vitamin D, which
is converted to a steroid hormone that controls about 1,000 genes, many in the
brain, is a major deficiency in the US and omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies are
very common because people don't eat enough fish.
The study is published in FASEB Journal.
Source: www.zeenewsindia.com
28.02.2015
Genes behind back pain and
depression link: Study
Sydney: The commonly found association
between low back pain and depression is actually due to certain genetic
factors, suggests a large study of twins.
Genes affecting levels of
neurotransmitters - such as serotonin and norepinephrine - might affect the
risk of both back pain and depression, the researchers added.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that
transmit signals from one neuron to another 'target' neuron.
Thus the commonly found association
between these health conditions is probably not a "true"
relationship, as there are other factors influencing it, the study noted.
"Genetic factors affecting both
conditions may be involved in the association between back pain and
depression," said Marina Pinheiro from the University of Sydney,
Australia.
For the study, the researchers analysed
data from an established database (Murcia Twin Registry) of nearly 2,150
Spanish twins.
Twin studies provide a unique
opportunity to elucidate the association between health conditions, by
eliminating the genetic and environmental factors contributing to them.
On analysis of monozygotic twins -- who
are genetically identical -- the researchers found that the commonly found
association between symptoms of depression and low back pain disappeared.
This suggested that the strong
association found in non-identical twins resulted from the
"confounding" effects of common genetic factors influencing both
conditions, the researchers noted.
Previous studies have shown a
"consistent relationship" between back pain and depression -- a
combination that may complicate diagnosis and treatment.
The new study is the first to examine
the relationship between depression and low back pain using twin data to
control for genetic and familial factors, the researchers pointed out.
The study appeared in the journal PAIN.
Source: www.zeenewsindia.com
28.02.2015
Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is
possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible
Francis Assisi
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