Males, females show different metabolic response to stress
New York, May 29 (IANS) Researchers have identified a receptor in the brain that shows male and female bodies differ greatly in responses to stress.
The findings showed that when we’re stressed, the cells in our hypothalamus — the brain region — steps up the production of a receptor called CRFR, known to quickly help activate the stress-response nervous system.
For instance, CRFR can cause the heart to beat faster, preparing the mouse or man to fight or flee.
Hypothalamus helps the body adjust to stressful situations, controlling hunger and satiety as well as regulates blood glucose and energy production.
The CRFR receptor was found in about half the cells involved in arousing appetite and suppressing energy consumption.
The researchers led by Yael Kuperman from Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel then removed the CRFR receptor from the cells that arouse appetite in the hypothalamus.
The results, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, revealed that when exposed to stressful conditions like cold or hunger, only females mice showed the effect.
When the CRFR receptor was removed in cold situations, the body temperature of female mice dropped dramatically.
Similarly, hungry female mice, in which the CRFR receptor was suppressed, also showed a reduction in liver glucose. No effect was seen in male mice.
The fact that the receptor suppresses hunger in stressed females, but not males, may help explain why women are statistically much more prone to eating disorders than men.
The study could aid in the development of treatments for regulating hunger or stress responses, including anxiety and depression, the researchers concluded.
Listening to music before eye surgery may cut anxiety
London, May 29 (IANS) Listening to soothing music just before an eye surgery can ease patients’ anxiety as well as help reduce the level of sedation required, finds a new study.
“Listening to music may be considered as an inexpensive, non-invasive, non-pharmacological method to reduce anxiety for patients undergoing elective eye surgery under local anaesthesia,” said Gilles Guerrier from Cochin University Hospital in France.
According to the researchers, being awake during surgery is particularly stressful for patients.
The findings showed a significant reduction in anxiety among patients who listened to music (score 23 out of 100) compared to those who didn’t (score 65 out of 100).
Patients who listened to music received significantly less sedatives during surgery compared with the non-music group (16 percent vs 32 percent).
Further, the postoperative satisfaction was significantly higher in the music group (mean score 71 out of 100 versus 55 for the non-music group).
“The objective is to provide music to all patients before eye surgery. We intend to assess the procedure in other type of surgeries, including orthopaedics where regional anaesthesia is common,” Guerrier added.
The pilot study evaluated the effect of music on anxiety in outpatients undergoing elective eye surgery under topical (local) anaesthesia.
The team evaluated a total of 62 patients who heard relaxing music or no music for around 15 minutes just before cataracts surgery.
The selected 16 pieces of music of various styles including jazz, flamenco, Cuban, classical and piano, aimed at preventing and managing pain, anxiety and depression.
A surgical fear questionnaire (SFQ) was also used to assess anxiety before and after a music session.
The results were presented recently at Euroanaesthesia 2016 in London.
