NIH IRP (Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Health)
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Our research changes lives.
Our research changes lives.
1,296 followers
NIH IRP (Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Health)'s interests
NIH IRP (Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Health)'s posts
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#NIH IRP researchers found that bugs in your eyes may be a good thing. Microbes living on the eye are essential for immune responses that protect the eye from infection. https://irp.nih.gov/news-and-events/in-the-news/eye-microbiome-trains-immune-cells-to-fend-off-pathogens-in-mice
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How well #cancer patients fared after #chemotherapy was affected by their social interaction with other patients during treatment, according to a new #NIH IRP study. https://irp.nih.gov/news-and-events/in-the-news/social-interaction-affects-cancer-patients-response-to-treatment #chemo
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A new study from IRP researchers demonstrates that #aldosterone, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, may contribute to #alcohol use disorder. https://irp.nih.gov/news-and-events/in-the-news/nih-findings-link-aldosterone-with-alcohol-use-disorder
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#NIH IRP researchers have discovered a key step in the process that HIV uses to inject its genetic material into cells. The findings could lead to the development of new drugs to prevent #HIV infection. https://irp.nih.gov/news-and-events/in-the-news/hiv-hijacks-surface-molecule-to-invade-cell
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A new #NIH study shows that a microbe living on the surface of the eye protects the cornea from infection. https://irp.nih.gov/news-and-events/in-the-news/eye-microbiome-trains-immune-cells-to-fend-off-pathogens-in-mice
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A new #microscope developed by #NIH IRP researchers allows viewers to increase resolution and contrast in thick biological samples. https://irp.nih.gov/news-and-events/hot-papers/adaptive-optics-improves-multiphoton-super-resolution-imaging
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Peer into research history through the medallions and medals awarded to #NIH scientists.
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Have modern #humans designed the perfect #environment for drug and food #addiction? Consider this article #excerpt:
"The more D2 [#dopamine] receptors you have, the higher your natural level of stimulation and #pleasure — and the less likely you are to seek out #recreational #drugs or comfort #food to compensate.
Dr. Nora Volkow, [senior investigator in the #NIH IRP and] director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse [#NIDA], and colleagues demonstrated this in a study of #Ritalin. Healthy, non-drug-abusing subjects with fewer D2 receptors experienced the #stimulant drug as pleasurable, while those with more found it aversive.
The number of receptors don’t just predict #drug usage; they are also affected by it. In that same study, Dr. Volkow discovered that people addicted to #cocaine, #heroin, #alcohol and #methamphetamines experience a significant reduction in their D2 receptor levels that persists long after drug use has stopped. These people are far less sensitive to rewards, are less #motivated and may find the world dull, once again making them prone to seek a #chemical means to enhance their everyday #life.
Drug exposure also contributes to a loss of #self-control. Dr. Volkow found that low #D2 was linked with lower activity in the #prefrontal cortex, which would impair one’s ability to #think critically and #exercise restraint.
The same #neuroscience helps us understand compulsive #overeating. Food, like drugs, stimulates the #brain’s #reward #circuit. Chronic exposure to high-#fat and #sugary foods is similarly linked with lower D2 levels, and people with lower D2 levels are also more likely to crave such foods. It’s a vicious cycle in which more exposure begets more #craving."
Read the full New York Times article – https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/opinion/sunday/what-cookies-and-meth-have-in-common.html
"The more D2 [#dopamine] receptors you have, the higher your natural level of stimulation and #pleasure — and the less likely you are to seek out #recreational #drugs or comfort #food to compensate.
Dr. Nora Volkow, [senior investigator in the #NIH IRP and] director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse [#NIDA], and colleagues demonstrated this in a study of #Ritalin. Healthy, non-drug-abusing subjects with fewer D2 receptors experienced the #stimulant drug as pleasurable, while those with more found it aversive.
The number of receptors don’t just predict #drug usage; they are also affected by it. In that same study, Dr. Volkow discovered that people addicted to #cocaine, #heroin, #alcohol and #methamphetamines experience a significant reduction in their D2 receptor levels that persists long after drug use has stopped. These people are far less sensitive to rewards, are less #motivated and may find the world dull, once again making them prone to seek a #chemical means to enhance their everyday #life.
Drug exposure also contributes to a loss of #self-control. Dr. Volkow found that low #D2 was linked with lower activity in the #prefrontal cortex, which would impair one’s ability to #think critically and #exercise restraint.
The same #neuroscience helps us understand compulsive #overeating. Food, like drugs, stimulates the #brain’s #reward #circuit. Chronic exposure to high-#fat and #sugary foods is similarly linked with lower D2 levels, and people with lower D2 levels are also more likely to crave such foods. It’s a vicious cycle in which more exposure begets more #craving."
Read the full New York Times article – https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/opinion/sunday/what-cookies-and-meth-have-in-common.html
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IRP researcher Dr. Bin Gao explores the immunological aspects and molecular pathogenesis of #alcoholic liver disease at the #NIH.
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IRP researchers and their collaborators have determined that Carey-Fineman-Ziter (CFZS) syndrome, a very rare congenital myopathy (inherited muscle disorder), is caused by mutations in the #gene #MYMK that encodes for the #protein myomaker. https://irp.nih.gov/news-and-events/in-the-news/nih-and-collaborators-identify-the-genomic-cause-for-carey-fineman-ziter-syndrome
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