New research indicates that decreased cravings for pleasure may be at the root of a core symptom of major depressive disorder. The research is in contrast to the long-held notion that those suffering from depression lack the ability to enjoy rewards, rather than the desire to seek them.

Jason Martin, a fellow in allergy, pulmonary and critical care medicine, is part of an interdisciplinary team at Vanderbilt University that has come up with a high-tech approach to combat this deadly illness, which is one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States and kills more than half a million people worldwide every year.

Vanderbilt University announced today that it has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Senior Research Associate Guirong Wang, titled "Targeting TRP Channel Heat Receptors to Disrupt Anopheles gambiae Host Seeking."

Current issues surrounding the national HIV/AIDS epidemic and its impact on the Nashville community will be explored at an April 25 conference at the Edgehill United Methodist Church.

Traffic patterns in and around Vanderbilt University will be modified on April 25 because of several events taking place, including the Country Music Marathon, a concert by the Dave Matthews Band, a tennis tournament and a baseball game.

A team of synthetic chemists at Vanderbilt University report in the March 18 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society that they have created an efficient way to make a naturally occurring alkaloid that could have anti-cancer properties and may combat memory loss from scratch.