Can Understanding Reward Help Illuminate Anhedonia?

Novelty reward as a measure of anhedonia.

A decrease in sensitivity to pleasurable stimuli, anhedonia, is a major symptom of depression in humans. Several animal models have been developed to simulate this symptom (e.g. drug withdrawal, learned helplessness) using reward-sensitive procedures such as intracranial self-stimulation and progressive ratio responding as a measure of reward function. Recently, we introduced the use of another...

Can Our Experiments Illuminate Reality?

SSRL X-rays help Illuminate Frustrated Spin Liquid State

A new magnetic state called a quantum spin liquid has been observed by a large international team of investigators from ten institutions, including a group using SSRL. When magnetic ions are located within a crystal lattice there are usually strong local magnetic and electric forces between them. At low temperatures such forces lead to a preferred alignment of the atomic moments – in ferromagne...

How computers can help to share understanding with patients.

http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/331/7521/892 Updated information and services can be found at: These include: References http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/331/7521/892#BIBL This article cites 10 articles, 7 of which can be accessed free at: Rapid responses http://bmj.com/cgi/eletter-submit/331/7521/892 You can respond to this article at: http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/331/7521/892#responses free...

Understanding the asthma epidemic: can twin studies help?

causes of the asthma epidemic, we are no closer to understanding it. As with other chronic diseases in which genetics and environment both clearly play a role, twin studies can be useful to address some of the challenges faced by epidemiologists that study allergic diseases, and asthma in particular. Among these are the lack of a specific phenotypic definition, the absence of simple means by wh...