Ever get chills listening to a particularly moving piece of music? You can thank the salience network of the brain for that emotional joint. Surprisingly, this region also remains an island of remembrance that is spared from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the University of Utah Health are looking to this region of the brain to develop music-based treatments to help alleviate anxiety in patients with dementia. Their research will appear in the April online issue of The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Posted in Medicine | Tagged Alzheimer's disease |
Researchers identify a genetic mutation that sets the heart racing, producing an irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart failure.
As a young woman, Martha Aston knew something wasn’t right.
“I was preparing for my junior piano recital in college and I just didn’t feel good,” she said. “Performing one piece of music exhausted me.”
Beyond the bone-grinding fatigue, she also could not catch her breath. During a routine medical check-up a few months later, her doctor paused while listening to her heart.
“He asked me if I knew I had an irregular heartbeat,” she said.
Posted in Genetics, Medicine | Tagged atrial fibrillation |
Researchers explore drug-seeking behavior with a zebrafish animal model.
As the opioid crisis escalates, the science behind addiction remains poorly understood. To address this need, researchers at University of Utah Health devised a system that allowed zebrafish, a small tropical fish, to self-administer doses of hydrocodone, an opioid commonly prescribed to people for pain. After one-week, the fish had increased their drug-seeking behavior, even when doing so required them to put themselves in risky conditions. Further, 48-hours after the last exposure, conditioned fish showed signs of anxiety, a hallmark of withdrawal.
Published August 25 online in the journal Behavioral Brain Research, this study offers a new approach to explore the biological pathways behind addiction and withdrawal that could lead to new therapies to treat dependence.
Chronic lower back pain continues to be a major health concern in the United States. The Hispanic community is particularly troubled by this affliction. While translating health care materials into Spanish is a first step, more is needed to meet the needs of these patients.
“We found that there are cultural differences in how patients express pain,” said Julie Fritz, PhD, PT, ATC, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health at University of Utah Health and senior author on the study. “Using the same tools in the same way for different communities doesn’t always work.”
Posted in Medicine |
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