Psychiatry News and Research

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

Ketamine shows rapid antidepressant effects

Researchers have now explored ketamine's effects on suicidality in patients with treatment-resistant depression, and are publishing their results in the September 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry. Ketamine acutely reduced suicidal thoughts when patients were assessed 24 hours after a single infusion. This reduction in suicidality was maintained when patients received repeated doses over the next two weeks.

10 Sep 2009

New protocol to tackle postpartum depression

Up to 80 percent of women experience depressive symptoms postpartum, with one in eight reporting the emergence of major depression within weeks of delivery.

10 Sep 2009

Mentally ill smokers also benefit from treatment, says research paper

People with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are the heaviest smokers in the country, but their doctors are afraid to ask them to quit. They assume that if their patients try to quit smoking, their mental disorders will get worse.

9 Sep 2009

Research study examines the depression rate in chronic kidney disease patients

One in five patients with chronic kidney disease is depressed, even before beginning long-term dialysis therapy or developing end-stage renal disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

9 Sep 2009

Axel Ullrich receives the 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research

Johnson & Johnson today honored the career achievements of Axel Ullrich, Ph.D., with the 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. Dr. Ullrich received this award for his scientific discoveries that led to innovative new drugs including Herceptin((R)) (trastuzumab)*, a personalized medicine therapy, which was the first to target a specific type of breast cancer.

8 Sep 2009

Early schizophrenia symptoms include unusually high CA1 subfield activity

In the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of its kind, neurologists and psychiatrists at Columbia University have identified an area of the brain involved in the earliest stages of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.

7 Sep 2009

Regurin XL capsule for the treatment of OAB launched in UK

Regurin(R) XL (trospium chloride), a once-daily, prolonged-release capsule to treat patients with overactive bladder (OAB) has been launched in the UK. Regurin(R) XL provides rapid, significant and consistent improvements in the symptoms of OAB1 and has a reduced potential for central nervous system (CNS) side effects(2-7).

7 Sep 2009

Two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease discovered

An international team of scientists has identified two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. The findings are reported in the online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

7 Sep 2009

Insomnia increases blood pressure

Can't sleep at night? A new study published in the journal Sleep has found that people who suffer from insomnia have heightened nighttime blood pressure, which can lead to cardiac problems. The investigation, which measured the 24-hour blood pressure of insomniacs compared to sound sleepers, was conducted by researchers from the Universit- de Montr-al, its affiliated H-pital du Sacr--C-ur de Montr-al Sleep Disorders Centre and the Universit- Laval.

5 Sep 2009

Shire receives FDA approval for INTUNIV extended release tablets

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for INTUNIV(TM) (guanfacine) Extended Release Tablets for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years.

4 Sep 2009

Shire's INTUNIV (Guanfacine) approved by the FDA for treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for INTUNIV- (guanfacine) Extended Release Tablets for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years. INTUNIV, a once-daily formulation of guanfacine, is the first selective alpha-2A adrenergic receptor agonist approved for the treatment of ADHD.

4 Sep 2009

Optimized turmeric extracts may prevent memory loss

scientists with HerbalScience Group LLC, working with researchers from other organizations and medical institutions, conducted an in-depth study of optimized turmeric extracts, demonstrating that key bioactives in the botanical extracts inhibit aggregation and release of amyloid, a protein fragment considered a prime causal suspect in Alzheimer's disease.

3 Sep 2009

Brain profiling tool to detect at-risk combat soldiers

According to a recent Washington Post study, approximately 20% of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are psychologically damaged. Among them are a substantial number with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the high rate of suicide among PTSD sufferers has become unacceptable to Army commanders and the soldiers' families.

3 Sep 2009

Yale University awarded $36 million ARRA funds for over 100 research projects

Faculty at Yale University have been awarded over 100 research grants totaling $36 million since February 2009, when the federal stimulus package was signed into law. Known as the American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009 (ARRA), the law aims to reinvigorate the economy and lay the foundation for long-term economic recovery by increasing investments in infrastructure, education, the environment and scientific research.

3 Sep 2009

University of North Carolina awarded the Center of Excellence in Genomic Science

To seek answers, the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health has named the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a Center of Excellence in Genomic Science and awarded UNC $8.6 million over five years to fund a new Center for Integrated Systems Genetics, or CISGen.

2 Sep 2009

Advances in traumatic brain injury to be presented at the University of New Mexico

Dr. David Durham will present Advances in Traumatic Brain Injury at the University of New Mexico on Friday, September 4th to physicians and medical students in the departments of psychiatry and neurology.

2 Sep 2009

New research on post-traumatic stress disorder to be presented at MHRF

New research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is being presented this week at the Military Health Research Forum (MHRF), a scientific conference hosted by the Department of Defense (DOD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Depending on the conflict in which they served, 10 to 30 percent of soldiers who have spent time in war zones experience the debilitating and life-altering symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

2 Sep 2009

Pesticide beta-HCH in blood and Parkinson's disease are linked: UT Southwestern Medical Center

People with Parkinson's disease have significantly higher blood levels of a particular pesticide than healthy people or those with Alzheimer's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

2 Sep 2009

Rodents may serve as useful models to interpret parent-offspring relationships

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have demonstrated that prairie voles may be a useful model in understanding the neurochemistry of social behavior. By influencing early social experience in prairie voles, researchers hope to gain greater insight into what aspects of early social experience drive diversity in adult social behavior.

1 Sep 2009

Chemotherapy affects sleep-wake activity rhythms of breast cancer patients

A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the sleep-wake activity rhythms of breast cancer patients are impaired during the administration of chemotherapy. Results indicate that the first cycle of chemotherapy is associated with a temporary disruption of these rhythms, while repeated administration of chemotherapy results in progressively worse and more enduring impairments.

1 Sep 2009