Male and female brain differences negligible

Meta-analysis of structural MRI volumes that found no significant difference in hippocampal size between men and women. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that allows researchers to combine the findings from many independent studies into a comprehensive review. Hippocampi are located on both sides of the brain, under the cerebral cortex. The team's findings challenge the common claim that a disproportionately larger hippocampus explains females' tendency toward greater emotional expressiveness, stronger interpersonal skills, and better verbal memory."Many people believe there is such a thing as a 'male brain' and a 'female brain,'" Dr. Eliot said. "But when you look beyond the popularized studies at collections of all the data you often find that the differences are minimal."

Meta-analyses by other investigators have also disproved other purported sex differences in the brain, Dr. Eliot noted. There is no difference in the size of the corpus callosum, white matter that allows the two sides of the brain to communicate, nor do men and women differ in the way their left and right hemispheres process language.

Ref: Anh Tan, Wenli Ma, Amit Vira, Dhruv Marwha, Lise Eliot. The human hippocampus is not sexually-dimorphic: Meta-analysis of structural MRI volumes. NeuroImage, 2016; 124: 350

DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.08.050

ITOP: A 3D bioprinter can produce human body parts

Scientists have transplanted living tissue constructed by a sophisticated and improved 3D printer. A challenge for tissue engineering is producing three-dimensional (3D), vascularized cellular constructs of clinically relevant size, shape and structural integrity. An integrated tissue–organ printer (ITOP) that can fabricate stable, human-scale tissue constructs of any shape. Mechanical stability is achieved by printing cell-laden hydrogels together with biodegradable polymers in integrated patterns and anchored on sacrificial hydrogels. The correct shape of the tissue construct is achieved by representing clinical imaging data as a computer model of the anatomical defect and translating the model into a program that controls the motions of the printer nozzles, which dispense cells to discrete locations. The incorporation of microchannels into the tissue constructs facilitates diffusion of nutrients to printed cells, thereby overcoming the diffusion limit of 100–200 μm for cell survival in engineered tissues. Future development of the ITOP is being directed to the production of tissues for human applications and to the building of more complex tissues and solid organs.

Ref: Hyun-Wook Kang et al., A 3D bioprinting system to produce human-scale tissue constructs with structural integrity, Nature Biotechnology (2016).

Doi:10.1038/nbt.3413

Workaholism linked to psychiatric disorders

Workaholism frequently co-occurs with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression.

Workaholics score higher on all clinical states

The study showed that workaholics scored higher on all the psychiatric symptoms than non-workaholics. Among workaholics, the main findings were that:

• 32.7 per cent met ADHD criteria (12.7 per cent among non-workaholics).
• 25.6 per cent OCD criteria (8.7 per cent among non-workaholics).
• 33.8 per cent met anxiety criteria (11.9 per cent among non-workaholics).
• 8.9 per cent met depression criteria (2.6 per cent among non-workaholics).
  
  
  
  
  Seven diagnostic criteria for workaholism

• You think of how you can free up more time to work.
• You spend much more time working than initially intended.
• You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness or depression.
• You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
• You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
• You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and/or exercise because of your work.
• You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.

Scoring 1 (never) 4 (often) or 5 (always) - four or more criteria identify a workaholic.

These findings highlight the importance of further investigating neurobiological deviations related to workaholic behaviour.

Ref: Cecilie Schou Andreassen et al, The Relationships between Workaholism and Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study. PLOS ONE, 2016; 11 (5): e0152978.

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