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Chemicals in plastic = depression + New brain node found = dysfunctional behavior - Printable Version

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Chemicals in plastic = depression + New brain node found = dysfunctional behavior - C C - Apr 1, 2021

Chemicals in plastic 'may contribute to postpartum depression'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9426801/Chemicals-plastic-contribute-postpartum-depression.html

INTRO: Women exposed to harmful chemicals from plastic during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from mood disorders after they've given birth, a new study warns. US researchers found women with higher traces of phthalates – a group of chemicals used in hundreds of products including plastic packaging – in their system were more likely to develop postpartum depression.

The post-birth, or 'postpartum', period has already been associated with mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. But the study authors, from New York University Langone Medical Center, blame exposure to harmful chemicals that influence hormonal shifts during pregnancy.

Postpartum depression is a serious and common psychiatric disorder that affects up to one in five childbearing women. The cause of postpartum depression is not well understood, but hormonal changes during pregnancy have been found to be an important factor.

The experts specifically point to bisphenols and phthalates, found in plastics and personal care products and already known to affect sex hormones. Phthalates are additives used during the manufacturing of plastic or to extend a product's shelf life. [...] Phthalates are a group of chemicals used in hundreds of products, such as toys, vinyl flooring and wall covering, detergents, lubricating oils, food packaging, pharmaceuticals, blood bags and tubing, and personal care products, such as nail polish, hair sprays, aftershave lotions, soaps, shampoos, perfumes and other fragrance preparations. Bisphenol A in polycarbonate plastic is used for hard reusable bottles and other common items like food containers... (MORE)


Newly discovered node in the brain could help scientists understand dysfunctional social behavior
https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2021/20210331-stowers-vocal.html

RELEASE: What’s the difference between a giggle and a belly laugh? Or a yelp and an all-out scream? In many species, including humans, the volume and duration of a verbal sound conveys as much information as the noise itself.

A group of scientists discovered a node in the brains of male mice that modulates the sounds they make in social situations. This discovery, published in Nature, could help identify similar locations in the human brain, and potentially lead to a better understanding of social disorders such as autism or depression.

“Identifying this node gives us signatures of what to look for when human behavior goes awry,” says Lisa Stowers, PhD, a neuroscientist and professor at Scripps Research who led the study. “It’s giving us clues to how information is organized in the brain, and how different features of information can be separated out in different brain regions.”

As part of their courtship behavior, male mice produce “songs.” These complicated whistles, which are too high for the human ear to detect, are louder and longer when the female mouse is nearby or when her scent is stronger. The researchers identified a specific type of neuron in a part of the hypothalamus called the lateral preoptic area that controls the emotional regulation of these sounds.

“The hypothalamus and the rest of the limbic system control body functions such as hunger, thirst and temperature regulation, as well as the basic features of emotional behavior like sex and fear,” Stowers says. “It is fitting that the emotional aspect of these social noises are generated in this region of the brain.”

By directly stimulating the right nodes from these neurons, the scientists could trigger the whole array of noises that go into a mouse song. Varying the level of stimulation allowed them to control how enthusiastic those sounds were. When the researchers blocked these nodes, male mice encountering a female would attempt to court her in silence. (Female mice responded by kicking the males and running away.) If the researchers bypassed these nodes and activated the next node downstream, the male mice only made long, loud noises.

“They’re basically just shouting,” Stowers says. “By finding these neurons, it’s telling us that this part of the brain is doing this emotional scaling and persistence. If you take that away, then you lose all of that affect, all of that emotional range, and the ability to have effective social communication.”

Most research on noise production in the brain has focused on language development, Stowers says. But the sounds that even an infant can make—a giggle, a cry, a scream—don’t have to be learned and are just as vital for communication. Identifying how the brain decides on these responses is the first step to understanding where things can go wrong in social behavioral disorders such as autism and depression.

“We are starting to get a detailed look at where in the brain different types of computations are being made,” Stowers says. “Now that we know that this simple behavior is regulated in the hypothalamus, we can study whether others behaviors are also using similar circuits and if so, perhaps find a common mechanism—and drug target—for when emotions are not generated appropriately.”