Author: Julie
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Largest international study of its kind finds new schizophrenia risk genes
Results of the International Psychiatric Genomics Consortium unveiled TORONTO – Canadian and international scientists have uncovered six new schizophrenia risk genes in the largest study of its kind. The results of the international Psychiatric Genomics Consortium CNV working group are published in the Nov. 21 advance online edition of Nature Genetics, and further support the…
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University of British Columbia Researchers Have Found A Way To Block The High of Cocaine
“If you got that lose, you want to kick them blues, cocaine When your day is done, and you want to ride on cocaine She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie Cocaine.” -Eric Clapton Despite its illegal status, cocaine remains one of the staples of social drug use. The stimulating effect of the…
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How Canadian Neuroscience Researchers Are Helping To Manage The Nation’s Drug Crisis
Opioids, such as morphine and fentanyl, are powerful drugs used to manage a variety of pain conditions. However, chronic opioid use can result in the development of physical dependence. When individuals stop opioid use, they may suffer from a debilitating withdrawal syndrome.
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Discovering The Genetic Cause For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Of all psychiatric conditions, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD as it’s more commonly known, is perhaps the most widely known and also, misunderstood. Colloquially, this term is used to describe anyone with a penchant for a obsessive nature. Yet, this ailment, which only affects about 2% of the population, is quite difficult to both diagnose and manage.
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UBC scientists create a mouse that resists cocaine’s lure
Scientists at the University of British Columbia have genetically engineered a mouse that does not become addicted to cocaine, adding to the evidence that habitual drug use is more a matter of genetics and biochemistry than just poor judgment. The mice they created had higher levels of a protein called cadherin, which helps bind cells…
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An eye-catching result
Research determines how the brain recognizes what’s important at first glance. Researchers at the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS) at Queen’s University have discovered that a region of the brain – the superior colliculus – contains a mechanism responsible for interpreting how visual input from a scene determines where we look. This mechanism, known as…
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Science as a uniting global force: A statement by the Canadian Association for Neuroscience
Recent events at home and abroad foreshadow a more divided and closed world. As such, the Canadian Association for Neuroscience wants to state their position that science can and must remain a builder of bridges between the peoples of all nations, regardless of differences in political views, religious beliefs or country of origin. Scientists around…
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New research shows how seizures can cause stroke-like events, which may be preventable
Scientists identify mechanism for brain dysfunction following seizures and drugs that prevent this impairment from occurring. Six years ago, Cam Teskey, PhD, decided to follow a hunch. Armed with an advanced new tool designed to measure oxygen levels in tissues, he wanted to look at the brains of rats to see what was happening during…
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Lack of joy from music linked to brain disconnection
Have you ever met someone who just wasn’t into music? They may have a condition called specific musical anhedonia, which affects three-to-five per cent of the population. Researchers at the University of Barcelona and the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University have discovered that people with this condition showed reduced functional connectivity between…