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Non-Automotive Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: MG on April 09, 2007, 12:38:00 PM

Title: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: MG on April 09, 2007, 12:38:00 PM: Getting dirty may lift your mood
Bacteria found in the soil activated a group of neurons that produce the brain chemical serotonin
Treatment of mice with a ‘friendly’ bacteria, normally found in the soil, altered their behavior in a way similar to that produced by antidepressant drugs, reports research published in the latest issue of Neuroscience.

These findings, identified by researchers at the University of Bristol and colleagues at University College London, aid the understanding of why an imbalance in the immune system leaves some individuals vulnerable to mood disorders like depression.

Dr Chris Lowry, lead author on the paper from Bristol University, said: "These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining mental health. They also leave us wondering if we shouldn’t all be spending more time playing in the dirt."

Interest in the project arose after human cancer patients being treated with the bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae unexpectedly reported increases in their quality of life. Lowry and his colleagues reasoned that this effect could be caused by activation of neurons in the brain that contained serotonin.

When the team looked closely at the brains of mice, they found that treatment with M. vaccae activated a group of neurons that produce the brain chemical serotonin. The lack of serotonin in the brain is thought to cause depression in people, thus M. vaccae’s effects on the behavior of mice may be due to increasing the release of serotonin in parts of the brain that regulate mood.

The new research supports this hypothesis, but future studies will be designed to determine if M. vaccae, other bacteria, or pharmaceutical compounds have antidepressant properties through activation of this group of serotonin neurons.
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: MG on April 11, 2007, 09:25:10 PM: Well, I suppose Rich would actually have to PARTICIPATE in order for this to go anywhere...... :(
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Ultra on April 11, 2007, 09:36:55 PM: Quote from: MG on April 11, 2007, 09:25:10 PM
Well, I suppose Rich would actually have to PARTICIPATE in order for this to go anywhere...... :(

Rich pays other people to do his dirty work.
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Rich on April 11, 2007, 09:48:33 PM: Quote from: MG on April 11, 2007, 09:25:10 PM
Well, I suppose Rich would actually have to PARTICIPATE in order for this to go anywhere...... :(

Sorry....was out with some of my clients digging in my compost pile.....
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Ultra on April 11, 2007, 09:51:14 PM: Quote from: Rich on April 11, 2007, 09:48:33 PM
Sorry....was out with some of my clients digging in my compost pile.....

Yours or theirs?
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Rich on April 11, 2007, 10:25:46 PM: I'm a Librul. It was "ours."
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Ultra on April 11, 2007, 10:33:13 PM: Quote from: Rich on April 11, 2007, 10:25:46 PM
I'm a Librul. It was "ours."

"Ours" would be a communist or socialist.

:o
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Rich on April 11, 2007, 10:37:02 PM: Communist, Socialist, Librul...all the same to the true power of NEOCONMAN.

To make matters worse...we wuz all nekkid.....
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Ultra on April 11, 2007, 10:40:23 PM: Quote from: Rich on April 11, 2007, 10:37:02 PM
To make matters worse...we wuz all nekkid.....

Now the story starts to get good.

:eyebrow:
Title: Re: This Could Put Rich Out Of Business!
Post by: Rich on April 11, 2007, 11:23:19 PM: You haven't seen my clients.

:yuck: :yuck: :yuck:

Or, for that matter...me. :-\