hormone

Researchers say they have uncovered more evidence to support a controversial hypothesis that sticky proteins that are a signature of Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted from person to person through certain surgical procedures.The authors and other scientists stress that the research is based on a small number of people and is related to medical practices that are no longer used. The study does not suggest that forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease can be contagious.Still, “we’d like to take precautions going…

Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s Science, Quickly. I’m Karen Hopkin.We all have our tricks for sobering up after a night of drunken revelry: maybe a pot of black coffee or an ice-cold shower. But for mice in a certain lab in Texas, all it takes is a shot. No, not more alcohol—it’s an injection of a hormone called fibroblast growth factor 21, or FGF21. A new study shows that a shot of FGF21—a hormone that regulates metabolic pathways—gets intoxicated mice up and running twice as fast as animals that are allowed…

Researchers have discovered why cognitive performance improves after exercise: the ‘feel good’ hormone and neurotransmitter dopamine. They found that exercise released dopamine, which produced a corresponding reduction in reaction time, and say that exercise could be an effective treatment for conditions such as depression, ADHD, and Parkinson’s disease, where dopamine plays a key role.It’s well-known that exercise boosts cognitive functioning and performance, including reaction time. However, the exact physiological…

How can you tell if a dinosaur is female or male? It’s one of the most basic aspects of biology and yet, for the most part, it continues to be a mystery in paleontology. We don’t yet know the sex of most extinct species, even if those in museum displays have gender-specific names like Sue the T.rex or Cliff the Triceratops. But this past October at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontologists, one scientist offered insight into the work he and his team are doing to uncover hormones in fossil bones.…

New research links menopause to cognitive deficits and brain atrophy, emphasizing the role of estrogen receptor beta in astrocytes. Findings from female mice studies suggest potential treatments targeting ERβ for improving cognition and reversing brain changes in menopause. A recent study led by Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, a neurologist at UCLA, has unveiled significant insights into how menopause contributes to cognitive decline and brain shrinkage, pinpointing the vital influence of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in astrocytes.…

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New research into the hormone somatostatin has the potential to change the general scientific consensus on how it influences Alzheimer's and how the disease begins to develop in the brain.Somatostatin plays a role in many parts of our body. In previous studies, the hormone was also thought to drive the production of the enzyme neprilysin, which can degrade amyloid beta, the protein that clumps together and damages neurons in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.The new study suggests that somatostatin actually…

Losing weight isn't easy for most of us, and neither is keeping it lost – not least because a process called adaptive thermogenesis kicks in, which means our body goes into a power-saving mode because less energy is supplied through food.In a new study involving mice, researchers think they've found a hormone-signaling pathway that might help. Signaling pathways are like biochemical chain reactions in the body, with particular triggers (such as drugs) leading to effects (such as weight loss).In this case, the hormone…

Women over 45 taking estrogen hormone therapy orally are more likely to develop high blood pressure than those using transdermal or vaginal forms, according to a study in the Hypertension journal. The study also indicated an increased risk associated with animal-derived estrogen compared to synthetic ones. However, the research was limited to postmenopausal women using estrogen-only hormone therapy.A new study in the journal Hypertension found that the type of estrogen-based menopausal hormone therapy for women had…

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed an ingestible electroceutical device, called the FLASH system, that modulates the gut-brain axis, affecting hunger levels and potentially treating a range of disorders. Inspired by the Australian thorny devil lizard’s skin, the device uses a fluid-wicking capsule to deliver electrical stimulation to stomach tissue, influencing the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin. Credit: NYU Abu DhabiInspired by the water-wicking skin of the Australian thorny devil lizard, FLASH capsules can…