http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A genetic tendency to depression is much less likely to be realized in a culture centered on collectivistic rather than individualistic values, according to a new Northwestern University study. http://www.physorg.com/news175895586.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:53:33 EST news175895586 How would you respond if you were told that you had an 80% chance of surviving an operation - would you give consent? How about if you were told you had a 20% chance of dying? The answer may partly depend on your genetic make-up, according to new research from UCL (University College London) and funded by the Wellcome Trust. http://www.physorg.com/news160765568.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 May 2009 18:06:30 EST news160765568 Polymorphisms are variations in genes which can result in changes in the way a particular gene functions and thus may be associated with susceptibility to common diseases. In a new study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychologist Tina B. Lonsdorf and her colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Greifswald in Germany examined the effect of specific polymorphisms on how fear is learned and how that fear is subsequently overcome. http://www.physorg.com/news155938648.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:17:44 EST news155938648 Financial institutions continue to teeter on the brink of ruin. Banks are still devouring bailout money without loosening credit enough to make a difference in a recession that is sweeping the globe. And everyone keeps asking, "How in the world did so many financial titans take such huge risks with our nation's well being?" http://www.physorg.com/news153547432.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:27:00 EST news153547432 (PhysOrg.com) -- By pinpointing two genes that cause autism-like symptoms in mice, researchers at MIT`s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have shown for the first time that multiple, interacting genetic risk factors may influence the severity of autistic symptoms. http://www.physorg.com/news152990923.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:00:01 EST news152990923 A genetic variation involving the brain chemical serotonin has been found to shape the social behavior of rhesus macaque monkeys, which could provide researchers with a new model for studying autism, social anxiety and schizophrenia. Humans and macaques are the only members of the primate family to have this particular genetic trait. http://www.physorg.com/news151141265.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:41:05 EST news151141265 The brain's serotonergic system plays an important role in alcohol preference and consumption. The serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4), in particular, may regulate a person's propensity for severe drinking. A study of six different single nucleotide polymorphisms - DNA sequence variations - of SLC6A4 has found that they influence drinking intensity among alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals in treatment. http://www.physorg.com/news146421515.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:38:35 EST news146421515 Why do many Canadians get the winter blues? In the first study of its kind in the living human brain, Dr. Jeffrey Meyer and colleagues at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have discovered greater levels of serotonin transporter in the brain in winter than in summer. These findings have important implications for understanding seasonal mood change in healthy people, vulnerability to seasonal affective disorders and the relationship of light exposure to mood. http://www.physorg.com/news140086217.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:50:17 EST news140086217 Brain scans taken at different times of year suggest that the actions of the serotonin transporter -involved in regulating the mood-altering neurotransmitter serotonin -vary by season, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. These fluctuations may potentially explain seasonal affective disorder and related mood changes. http://www.physorg.com/news139570561.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:36:01 EST news139570561