The NicVAX vaccine prompts the immune system to create antibodies that bind to the nicotine molecules in the blood. The now-larger molecules are prevented by their size from crossing the blood-brain barrier.

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DALLAS, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Increased sexual activity may lead to an improvement in problem-solving, confidence and teamwork at work, a U.S. researcher says.

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Over the past year and a half more than a few things have been sacrificed in effort to speed up performance in thinking and general living. The first to go was coffee.

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Preliminary research in healthy men suggests that the narcolepsy drug modafinil, increasingly being used to enhance cognitive abilities, affects the activity of dopamine in the brain in a way that may create the potential for abuse and dependence, according to a study in the Marc …

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At 7 a.m.

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An ingredient found in black licorice was shown to reduce the behavioral effects associated with drug use, while protecting the brain cells, according to findings in an animal study. There is a link to the free full text study.

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Excerpt: In today's society there is no doubt that the human-animal bond is stronger than ever.

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A man's saliva has a "cocktail of chemicals" hinting at his fertility and evolutionary fitness, they said at a conference in Chicago...

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And you may well have noticed this addictive characteristic if you overindulged in sugar over the recent holidays. Turns out, the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a big role here. There's a lot of research on dopamine coming out these days.

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Excerpt: What you eat may help you enjoy sex more. Marrena Lindberg, author of Orgasmic Diet, says a balanced diet -- along with plenty of high-grade fish oil supplements -- can help women reach full satisfaction more easily.

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Calories eaten affects the brain dopamine reward system independent of taste, especially after restricting food intake. Ultimately, sugar is registered as pleasurable by the brain.

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Another study looking at the connection between dopamine, the pleasure-reward neurochemical and obesity.

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Scientists discovered a gene that may trigger overeating. The aberrant gene interferes with the reward-pleasure chemical in the brain, dopamine. Dieting increases the dopamine response to food.

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People who are sleep-deprived often report getting a "second wind" where they suddenly wake up and feel great — though they are still too fatigued to do any major problem-solving. A group of researchers have discovered there's a good reason for this.

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"I was never your standard neuroscientist," he says.

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From the lab to the legislature, the push is on to recognize and treat addiction as a mental illness.

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Researchers, using fluorescent tracer dye, discovered that mice given methamphetamines for 10 days (roughly equivalent to a human using it for two years) had suppressed activity in a certain area of their brains.

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The makers of the new drugs insist they are safe, although perhaps not for everyone, such as people with a history of depression.

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A study published in the March 13 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation (http://www.jci.org/) shows that dopamine, a drug currently used to treat Parkinson's disease and other illnesses, also might work in cancer patients.

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Scientists have for the first time identified brain sites that fire up more when people make impulsive decisions.

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The first new class of drugs in more than a decade for treating schizophrenia worked at least as well in a clinical trial as standard medications, a study released Sunday showed. Unlike current anti-psychotic drugs, which block the uptake of a naturally occurring chemical called …

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Scientists have identified genetic variations that affect specific neurotransmitter functions, which could explain why some patients respond to some drugs but not to others.

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Megan and Neil had always been passionate about each other. Shy and unaccustomed to dating, they met on a group outing in high school where they spent the evening flirting. Megan still remembers the feeling of excitement that washed over her the first time they held hands.

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Buzzing on Love

The Three Stages of Chemical Attraction: First Sight: Living Libido Loco Testosterone and estrogen hormones fuel the bonfire of desire, shifting sex drives into fourth gear and getting us all hot and bothered and prowling for potential mates.

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Angelo was walking home from the laboratory when, all of a sudden, he heard two voices in his head. "It was like hearing thoughts in my mind that were not mine," he explained recently. "They identified themselves as Andrew and Oliver, two angels.

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