Tag

Receptors

All articles tagged with #receptors

science29 days ago•52 min saved

From Skin to Senses: Unraveling Pain, Pleasure, and Social Touch

Quanta Magazine's The Joy of Why interviews Columbia neuroscientist Ishmail Abdus-Saboor about how pain and touch arise from skin-brain circuitry, the molecular receptors that distinguish hot, cold, touch, and pain, how researchers infer animals' internal states, the ethics of animal research, and the naked mole rat's unique sociality and pain-insensitivity, along with cutting-edge tools like optogenetics and ongoing work to translate basic findings into therapies that target perception and emotion rather than sensation alone.

via Quanta Magazine|

#naked-mole-rat #neuroscience #pain

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Beyond Serotonin: The Comprehensive Brain Engagement of Psychedelics

A new study reveals that psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline interact with a wide range of neural receptors beyond just serotonin, engaging multiple pathways that may explain their complex effects and therapeutic potential. These compounds activate numerous serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic receptors, stimulating diverse intracellular signaling pathways, which could allow for the development of targeted, non-hallucinogenic therapies for mental health conditions. The findings highlight the intricate pharmacology of psychedelics and their potential for precision medicine in neuropsychiatry.

via Neuroscience News|

#brain #psychedelics #receptors

biology3 years ago•3 min saved

Octopuses use their arms to taste and hunt

Octopuses and squids use their suckers to taste surfaces and grapple with their prey simultaneously. Two studies published in Nature describe how these animals 'taste by touching' and how evolution has equipped them with the perfect sensory ability for their lifestyles. The receptors that stud the animals' suckers transmit information that enables the creature to taste chemicals on a surface independently from those floating in the water. Molecular biologists have found that the octopus receptors tend to bind to 'greasy' molecules that don't dissolve in water, suggesting that they are optimized for detecting chemicals on surfaces such as a fish's skin, the sea floor, or the octopus's own eggs.

via Nature.com|

#biology #octopuses #receptors