Psychiatry News and Research

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Psychiatry is the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorders.

Neuroimaging studies offer new insights into cognitive vulnerability to depression

Neuroimaging studies of interconnected brain networks may provide the "missing links" between behavioral and biological models of cognitive vulnerability to depression, according to a research review in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

10 May 2016

Depressed moms not physiologically 'in sync' with their children

Mothers with a history of depression are not physiologically "in sync" with their kids, according to a new study from Binghamton University. While researchers have known for a while that depression is associated with interpersonal problems with others, this is the first study to examine whether this is also evident physiologically.

6 May 2016

New study finds genetic overlap between bipolar disorder and autism

A new study suggests there may be an overlap between rare genetic variations linked to bipolar disorder (BD) and those implicated in schizophrenia and autism.

5 May 2016

Scientists detect blood biomarker that may help in early diagnosis of children with ASD

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a blood biomarker that may aid in earlier diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.

4 May 2016

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Aging takes its toll on the brain, and the cells of the hippocampus--a brain region with circuitry crucial to learning and memory--are particularly vulnerable to changes that can lead to Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline. With the hope of counteracting the changes that can lead to these two conditions, researchers at Rockefeller University and their colleagues have begun examining the effects of a drug known to affect this circuitry.

4 May 2016

Depression, anxiety co-occur in bipolar disorder patients following mania

Adults with bipolar disorder are just as likely to develop anxiety as depression following an episode of mania, according to data from a national survey of more than 34,000 adults. This finding, published today in Molecular Psychiatry, may expand our understanding of bipolar disorder to include anxiety.

4 May 2016

New study shows women susceptible to pain-relieving placebo effect of vasopressin

A new study in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that women are particularly susceptible to the pain-relieving placebo effect of vasopressin.

3 May 2016

Feeding breast milk during first month of life may spur brain growth in preterm infants

Feeding premature babies mostly breast milk during the first month of life appears to spur more robust brain growth, compared with babies given little or no breast milk.

30 Apr 2016

Nuplazid (pimavanserin) tablets approved to treat hallucinations and delusions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Nuplazid (pimavanserin) tablets, the first drug approved to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with psychosis experienced by some people with Parkinson's disease.

30 Apr 2016

Key gene changes reveal four previously unknown conditions within schizophrenia

Changes in key genes clearly define four previously unknown conditions within the umbrella diagnosis of schizophrenia, according to a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center published online April 28 in EBioMedicine, a Lancet journal. Cases associated with changes in each of the four genes were different from each other in terms of symptoms, intelligence level and other disease features.

29 Apr 2016

Exposure to SSRI during gestation increases chances of adolescent offspring depression

A study to be published in the May 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) reports that use of certain antidepressants during pregnancy can result in offspring depression by early adolescence.

28 Apr 2016

MBCT could be effective treatment to prevent recurrence of depression

The largest meta-analysis so far of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression has found that MBCT is an effective treatment option that can help prevent the recurrence of major depression. The study used anonymised individual patient data from nine randomized trials of MBCT. It suggests that for the millions of people who suffer recurrent depression it provides a treatment choice and an alternative or addition to other approaches such as maintenance anti-depressants.

28 Apr 2016

New rat study shows specific genetic factors may contribute to differences in addiction among humans

Why does one person who tries cocaine get addicted, while another might use it and then leave it alone? Why do some people who kick a drug habit manage to stay clean, while others relapse? And why do some families seem more prone to addiction than others?

27 Apr 2016

UNC-Chapel Hill researchers identify functional brain circuit that controls alcohol binge drinking

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified a circuit between two brain regions that controls alcohol binge drinking, offering a more complete picture on what drives a behavior that costs the United States more than $170 billion annually and how it can be treated.

27 Apr 2016

Study reveals new function for CACNA1C gene in psychiatric diseases

A new study shows the death of newborn brain cells may be linked to a genetic risk factor for five major psychiatric diseases, and at the same time shows a compound currently being developed for use in humans may have therapeutic value for these diseases by preventing the cells from dying.

27 Apr 2016

New fruit fly model study reveals metabolic pathway that can be targeted to treat FXS patients

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common genetically inherited cause of intellectual disability in humans. New research shows how the hormone insulin -- usually associated with diabetes -- is involved in the daily activity patterns and cognitive deficits in the fruitfly model of FXS, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published online this month in Molecular Psychiatry in advance of the print issue.

27 Apr 2016

Innovative strategy can reverse symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are the two most common neurodegenerative disorders worldwide and cause untold suffering to millions of patients and their families. Treatments for these diseases are limited, and no cures exist. Now, a new study describes an innovative strategy that reverses symptoms in these neurodegenerative diseases - at least in fruit flies which had been genetically altered to model the diseases.

26 Apr 2016

Nutritional supplements can enhance effectiveness of antidepressants

An international evidence review has found that certain nutritional supplements can increase the effectiveness of antidepressants for people with clinical depression.

26 Apr 2016

Early maternal support boosts robust brain growth in kids

Children whose mothers were nurturing during the preschool years, as opposed to later in childhood, have more robust growth in brain structures associated with learning, memory and stress response than children with less supportive moms, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

26 Apr 2016

Hearing aid use improves cognitive function in hearing-impaired older adults

A study conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center found that older adults who used a hearing aid performed significantly better on cognitive tests than those who did not use a hearing aid, despite having poorer hearing. The study was published online in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

26 Apr 2016

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Neuroimaging studies offer new insights into cognitive vulnerability to depression

Depressed moms not physiologically 'in sync' with their children

New study finds genetic overlap between bipolar disorder and autism

Scientists detect blood biomarker that may help in early diagnosis of children with ASD

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Depression, anxiety co-occur in bipolar disorder patients following mania

New study shows women susceptible to pain-relieving placebo effect of vasopressin

Feeding breast milk during first month of life may spur brain growth in preterm infants

Nuplazid (pimavanserin) tablets approved to treat hallucinations and delusions

Key gene changes reveal four previously unknown conditions within schizophrenia

Exposure to SSRI during gestation increases chances of adolescent offspring depression

MBCT could be effective treatment to prevent recurrence of depression

New rat study shows specific genetic factors may contribute to differences in addiction among humans

UNC-Chapel Hill researchers identify functional brain circuit that controls alcohol binge drinking

Study reveals new function for CACNA1C gene in psychiatric diseases

New fruit fly model study reveals metabolic pathway that can be targeted to treat FXS patients

Innovative strategy can reverse symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases

Nutritional supplements can enhance effectiveness of antidepressants

Early maternal support boosts robust brain growth in kids

Hearing aid use improves cognitive function in hearing-impaired older adults

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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