Tag: "exaggerated" at biology news

Common treatment for methamphetamine overdose may damage brain cells

...ol of Medicine suspect the damage results from the exaggerated stimulation of cells by the amino acid glutamate, which proves toxic to cells producing the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Their results are published in the May 30 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience . "This work in laboratory...

The price of vanity: Mating with showy males may reduce offspring's ability to fight off pathogens

...ases. Therefore, a female's choice of a male with exaggerated ornaments may make her daughters and granddaughters less able to resist pathogens, Mank argues. However, there may be some benefits for the females. For example, females are larger than males in many fish species, perhaps because of the requisite...

New research shows that flu is a trigger of heart attacks

...otic plaques undergo sudden changes, mainly due to exaggerated inflammation, leading to rupture of these vulnerable plaques and subsequent formation of clots resulting in heart attacks. "This study shows that flu is an important trigger of heart attacks because flu is a severe infection, with high incidence ...

A steady, high-fat diet is bad, but the news gets worse

...artherosclerosis and high blood pressure, and that exaggerated and prolonged cardiovascular responses to stress are associated with high blood pressure in the future. So when we learn that even a single, high-fat meal can make you more reactive to stress, it’s cause for concern because it suggests a new and dama...

Lizards 'shout' against a noisy background

...sual noise" in the background, the faster and more exaggerated the movements of the lizards. Anole lizards are interesting to evolutionary biologists because different species are found on different islands all over the Caribbean. The lizards are not particularly closely related -- they are separated by 30 mi...

New brain-chemistry differences found in depressed women

...men, but not others, with major depression, showed exaggerated responses in this system when undergoing an emotional challenge." That emotional challenge was the summoning of memories of a very sad event in their lives, which the researchers asked the women to recall while they were lying in the positron emis...

How mammals fuel milk production may have implications for cancer

... mothers. That difference in weight only grew more exaggerated with time. In contrast, the researchers reported, the offspring of Akt2-deficient mice gained weight normally. The researchers further showed that the mice without Akt1 displayed a four-fold reduction in milk secretion compared to either normal mi...

A new target for painkillers

... rubbing against the inside of a shoe ?and feel an exaggerated response to things that are painful. Common pain medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen often fail to relieve neuropathic pain. Morphine-like opiods such as oxycodone sometimes are used, but can cause constipation, nausea and a spaced...

'Tribbles' protein implicated in common and aggressive form of leukemia

...ells in the bone marrow. In AML, the uncontrolled, exaggerated growth and accumulation of white blood cells leads to anemia and a deficiency of normal white cells in the blood. AML is the most common type of leukemia in adults, with an estimated 10,100 new cases reported each year. Pear, also a researcher in...

Zinc plays important role in brain circuitry

...cantly, they found the mutant mouse shows the same exaggerated response to noise as children with the genetic disorder called "startle disease," or hyperekplexia. The findings shed light on a nagging mystery in neurobiology: why the connections among certain types of neurons contain considerable pools of free z...

Common carp sheds new light on surviving in extreme environments

...te stress because the underlying mechanisms are so exaggerated and displayed so clearly. We now need to investigate whether the protein is involved in sustaining normal blood flow through tissue capillaries and oxygen delivery during difficult times." ...

Mutant mice show key autism traits

...its in all social paradigms tested and also showed exaggerated reaction to sensory stimuli, anxiety-like behaviors, seizures, and decreased learning, which are features associated with ASD." Finally, the researchers found that the mutant mice showed the same kind of abnormal overgrowth of neurons and their inte...

Zebra finch males prefer females with exaggerated maternal traits

...parents may give birds a preference for mates with exaggerated parental traits, rather than traits that more exac...d mate preferences may help drive the evolution of exaggerated traits and strong morphological differences between sexes ?phenomena seen frequently in birds and ot...

Oops! Researchers publish new findings on the brain's response to costly mistakes

...s to pinpoint the area in the brain that shows the exaggerated error response." Taylor, who treats patients with psychiatric disorders, says the next step is to study patients using the same test as was used in healthy participants. The researchers also hope to study the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy, ...

Sun protection for plants

...g their ability to photosynthesise. This effect is exaggerated when there is a shortage of water or extreme temperatures. The resulting damage to the delicate photosynthetic membranes in the plant leads to impaired growth, cell destruction and, eventually, plant death. The scientists, funded by the Biotechnology...

Chernobyl: The true scale of the accident

...turn, has led either to over cautious behavior and exaggerated health concerns, or to reckless conduct, such as c...ts of their health and well-being, coupled with an exaggerated sense of the danger to their health from radiation exposure and a belief in a shorter life expectanc...

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