Mental Health

Study sounds alarm over shock suicide rate among French farmers
Researchers commissioned by the agriculture ministry found a total of 485 farmers had taken their own lives over the course of 2007, 2008 and 2009, with the death rate particularly high amongst cattle farmers. The institute which drew up the report found that male farmers were 20 percent more likely to take their own lives than the rest of the population. MedicalXpress

The microbiota-gut-brain axis: neurobehavioral correlates, health and sociality
Here we review evidence on the ability of the gut microbiota to communicate with the brain and thus modulate behavior, and also elaborate on the ethological and cultural strategies of human and non-human primates to select, transfer and eliminate microorganisms for selecting the commensal profile. Montiel-Castro AJ, González-Cervantes RM, Bravo-Ruiseco G, Pacheco-López G. Front Integr Neurosci. 2013 Oct 7;7:70. Review. PMID: 24109440

Single molecule shown to regulate emotional behavior of mice
Mood and emotion are extremely complex aspects of behavior that are known to involve the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. Both neurotransmitters are broken down by an enzyme called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), and drugs that interfere with this system, such as the anti-depressant fluoxetine (Prozac), have long been used to treat mood disorders. Jun Aruga and colleagues from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako have now shown that a ligase enzyme called Rines regulates MAO-A activity and could prove to be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of such disorders. MedicalXpress