Baby insomniacs

Childhood obesity can’t be completely faulted on fast food, a new research study suggests. Consistently shorter durations of sleep during the night due to computers, TVs, and other gadgets in the bedroom, may also have a role in the increasing number of unhealthy, fat kids. The study pointed to several hormones that regulate hunger and metabolism. Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, was 15 per cent higher in kids with five hours of sleep a night than kids with eight. Sleep loss also disrupts the hormones insulin, cortisol, and growth hormone, which could lead to irregular eating patterns and obesity. Insufficient sleep from 30 months to the teens may have consequences in development, especially in the part of the brain that regulates appetite and energy expenditure.

Source: BMJ Specialty Journals

-Sandy Huen

Where pleasure is pain

Dopamine has long been heralded as the brain’s way of communicating pleasure. More recently, studies have implicated dopamine as a factor driving the addictions to cocaine and heroin. A new study from the University of Michigan suggests that dopamine is also involved in the sensory reception of muscle pain, though how this pain is registered on an emotional scale varies among individuals. In a study with 25 individuals, the application of pain to the jaw muscle caused the release of dopamine from the same area of the brain that responds to positive stimuli like food or sex. Surprisingly, the more the pain caused emotional distress, the more dopamine was released, especially in an area previously implicated in drug addiction. The researchers conclude that dopamine acts at the intersection of physical and emotional events, whether painful or pleasurable. The finding may explain why drug addiction is more likely to occur under periods of stress or chronic pain.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience

-S.H.

The lesser of evils?

A species of bacteria that is known to substantially increase the risk of cancer in the lower stomach may actually decrease the risk of upper stomach cancer, according to a recent study. Many people are infected with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, but they usually can get away with little to no symptoms. If symptoms such as gastric ulcers appear, a treatment often is instituted to get rid of the bacteria completely. However, the recent results indicate that mass eradication strategies may not be encouraged because H. pylori can decrease the risk of developing cancer of the upper part of the stomach. Physicians are recommended to take the possible protective qualities of H. pylori into consideration when devising treatment plans for patients with infections.

Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute

-Mayce Al-Sukhni