Tubby rats deficient in dopamine
Researchers at New York's Brookhaven National Laboratory have found further evidence of the role of dopamine - a brain chemical associated with reward and pleasure - in controlling obesity. The study found that genetically obese rats have lower levels of dopamine brain receptors than do lean rats, providing support for the view that 'the interplay of genetic factors with the environment' may contribute to the development of obesity, says team leader Panayotis Thanos. However, it's not clear whether the reduced dopamine receptor levels are a cause or consequence of obesity, healthday.com reports.
Leptin points to obesity cure
Meanwhile, researchers over at UCLA have discovered giving morbidly obese people extra doses of the body's natural appetite suppressant, a hormone called leptin, curbs their cravings for high-calorie food. Using brain imaging, the researchers found that leptin activated so-called executive centres of the brain associated with self-control, Reuters reports. And the treatment may be long-lasting because 'leptin actually changes the structure of their brain', developing the area of the cerebral cortex involved in self-control, says team leader Edythe London.
Chilli numbs post-operative pain
Doctors are dripping the burning chemical from chilli into open wounds during painful surgery such as knee replacements in an attempt to ease post-operative pain and reduce the patients' dependence on painkillers as they heal. Apart from its initial fieriness, capsaicin is a remarkable anaesthetic, and the doctors hope that bathing surgically exposed nerves in a high enough dose will numb them for weeks. Preliminary results in the US and Denmark have been encouraging, AP reports. The problem with opioid painkillers such as morphine is that they have serious side effects.
Double spells hefty trouble