Media Coverage of the University of Michigan: May 2012

 

  • U-M Stem-Cell Line Gets National Registry Go-Ahead
    (Detroit Free Press, April 26)

    A second human embryonic stem-cell line derived at the University of Michigan has been accepted on the U.S. National Institutes of Health registry, making the line available for federally funded research and possibly bringing science a step closer to understanding Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

  • Dopamine: Duality of Desire
    (The Scientist, May 2012)

    Research by University of Michigan neuroscientist Kent Berridge and his colleagues sheds new light on the science of addiction. The research demonstrates that liking (or pleasure) is mediated by opioids. But wanting is mediated by dopamine. The feeling of desire, or wanting, evolved to get us to pursue the things that make us feel good. But the pursuit itself isn’t fun. This perspective on the dual nature of attraction helps make sense of addiction. Unsated attraction can be a kind of torture, and addicts may seek drugs to put an end to that torture, more than for the modicum of pleasure drugs actually bestow.

  • Parents Play Favorites when Helping Adult Kids Out
    (USA Today, May 3, 2012)

    More than 60 percent of today’s young adults have received financial help from their parents—and those described as having more agreeable personalities as children get more money than others, according to a study led by U-M’s Patrick Wightman.Among the 62 percent of young adults getting parents’ help, the average amount was $12,185. About 42 percent of parents help adult children pay their bills, 35 percent help with college tuition, 23 percent help with vehicle expenses, and 22 percent help with rent away from home, researchers found.

  • Bedroom Eyes Make Guys Look Sketchy
    (LiveScience, May 10, 2012)

    Daniel Kruger, research assistant professor of health behavior and health education, spoke with LiveScience about his study into how people perceive “bedroom eyes.”

  • Deep Brain Stimulation as Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease”
    (ABC-TV, “The Doctors,” May 2, 2012)

    Dr. Parag Patil, assistant professor of neurosurgery, anesthesiology, and biomedical engineering, appeared on “The Doctors” to discuss and demonstrate in real time how deep-brain stimulation was used to treat a patient with Parkinson’s disease. This is part two in a series of three.

  • Dead Galaxies Live On
    (Discover Magazine, April 2012)

    Even in the oldest galaxies out there, young stars continue to be born, according to new research by U-M astronomer Joel Bregman. New information regarding the rate of star formation in supposedly “dead” galaxies may force theorists to revise their models of how galaxies evolve.

  • More Babies Being Born Addicted to Prescription Painkillers
    (Detroit Free Press, May 17, 2012)

    An increased reliance on prescription painkillers and the resulting addiction has now shown up in the most vulnerable patients—America’s newborns, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.The number of addicted babies—many suffering from respiratory problems, low birth weight, and seizures—has nearly tripled in less than a decade. That’s one baby every hour in the U.S., according to the study, said lead author Dr. Stephen Patrick of the University of Michigan Health Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

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