Psychiatry News and Research

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

'Mu opioid' receptors in the brain linked to smoking relapse

Nearly everyone who has tried to quit smoking says it's incredibly difficult, and the struggle is due in part to genetic factors. Now, a new study from the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sheds light on how one specific genetic risk for smoking relapse may work: Some of the difficulties may be due to how many receptors, called "mu opioid" receptors, a smoker has in his or her brain.

17 May 2011

Obese, asthmatic children more likely to experience excessive daytime sleepiness

Obese, asthmatic, anxious or depressed children are more likely to experience excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, according to Penn State College of Medicine sleep researchers.

17 May 2011

Imaginary bugs flummox dermatologists

It is known that some people have the “delusional bug syndrome” and are convinced that bugs, worms, germs, or other creepy crawlers are infesting their skin and often see skin doctor after skin doctor to find out what is causing the infestation. Often, patients bring in samples of the insect and request a skin biopsy.

17 May 2011

Study reveals role of KLF14 regulatory gene in type 2 diabetes

A team of researchers, led by King's College London and the University of Oxford, have found that a gene linked to type 2 diabetes and cholesterol levels is in fact a 'master regulator' gene, which controls the behaviour of other genes found within fat in the body.

16 May 2011

Researchers discover depression-related DNA region

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and King's College London have independently identified DNA on chromosome 3 that appears to be related to depression.

16 May 2011

VAYA Pharma's Vayarin now available in South, North Carolina and Texas for children with ADHD

\VAYA Pharma announced the availability of Vayarin in pharmacies throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas for children suffering with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

16 May 2011

Otsuka Pharmaceutical reports OPC-34712 Phase 2 trial results in major depressive disorder

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (OPC) and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) today announced results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of OPC-34712, a novel D2 dopamine partial agonist investigational product.

16 May 2011

Genetic link for depression found: Study

Researchers have for the first time confirmed a specific genetic link to depression, according to new evidence published in the American Journal of Psychiatry on Monday. This finding was made independently by research teams in the UK and US, is expected to lead to a better biological understanding of the condition and eventually to more effective antidepressants.

15 May 2011

Mental health initiatives get a major boost

The Federal Government is taking initiatives in introducing preventive metal health steps. One of them is introduction of mental health checks for three-year-olds.

12 May 2011

InTouch Health applauds FDA for recent announcement on Medical Device Data Systems

In response to the recent announcement issued by the Food and Drug Administration regarding Medical Device Data Systems, InTouch Health affirms its position of compliance, and applauds the agency for issuing regulations governing the use of hardware and software in the healthcare information technology space.

12 May 2011

Two new research studies on schizophrenia

Two new research studies published in Biological Psychiatry point to progressive abnormalities in brain development that emerge as vulnerable individuals develop schizophrenia.

12 May 2011

Naurex announces completion of $18 million Series A financing

Naurex Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today announced the completion of an $18 million Series A financing led by Adams Street Partners and Latterell Venture Partners.

11 May 2011

Second subject enrolled in human embryonic stem cell therapy trial for subacute thoracic spinal cord injury

Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) recently enrolled their first subject in a national clinical research trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy for participants with a subacute thoracic spinal cord injury.

11 May 2011

Long ring finger linked to Lou Gehrig’s disease

In some of the latest studies it has been found that finger length could be linked to various traits in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. These people tend to have longer ring fingers, compared with their index fingers, than do people without the disease.

11 May 2011

Successful treatment of depression in mothers improves behavior of children

Children whose mothers are successfully treated for depression show progressive and marked improvement in their own behaviors even a year after their moms discontinue treatment, new UT Southwestern Medical Center-led research shows.

10 May 2011

Study reveals autism prevalence may be higher than current estimates in Korean children

Autism may be more common worldwide than previously thought, according to researchers from the George Washington University and Yale University.

9 May 2011

ADHD in children linked to stress and depression during pregnancy

According to the latest research women who are depressed or severely stressed during their pregnancy have a greater chance of having children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It has been known till now that ADHD is largely inheritable but now it comes out that antenatal anxiety could contribute to 15 per cent of cases of the behavioural condition in children.

8 May 2011

AGA's cutting-edge research on GI disorders to be presented at DDW 2011

Clinicians, researchers and scientists from around the world will gather for Digestive Disease Week- 2011, the largest and most prestigious gastroenterology meeting, from May 7-10, 2011, at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

7 May 2011

Researchers use virtual computer model to understand schizophrenic brains

Computer networks that can't forget fast enough can show symptoms of a kind of virtual schizophrenia, giving researchers further clues to the inner workings of schizophrenic brains, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Yale University have found.

6 May 2011

New study finds transmen have high autistic symptoms

A new study from Cambridge University has for the first time found that female-to-male transsexual people have a higher than average number of autistic traits.

6 May 2011