Hallucination News and Research

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A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid, substantial, and located in external objective space.

Brain abnormalities associated with schizophrenia risk are detectable in babies, find researchers

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder affecting one in 100 people worldwide. Most cases aren't detected until a person starts experiencing symptoms like delusions and hallucinations as a teenager or adult. By that time, the disease has often progressed so far that it can be difficult to treat.

22 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 21, 2010

Today's news includes an exploration of the impact of Medicare payment rates on physicians, an analysis of the fate of the COBRA subsidy and how an innovation may offer a medical malpractice fix.

21 Jun 2010

Water is essential but electrolyte drinks are needed when exercising in heat

Water is essential when exercising in the heat but it might not be enough to keep you healthy in Houston summers.

5 Jun 2010

HSV-1 may cause cognitive deficits: Study

Exposure to the common virus that causes cold sores may be partially responsible for shrinking regions of the brain and the loss of concentration skills, memory, coordinated movement and dexterity widely seen in patients with schizophrenia, according to research led by Johns Hopkins scientists.

29 May 2010

Researchers use CASL MRI technique to map cerebral blood flow patterns in schizophrenic patients

Researchers in Germany have used a magnetic resonance imaging technique called continuous arterial spin labeling to map cerebral blood flow patterns in schizophrenic patients quickly and without using radiation or contrast agents. Their findings appear in the online edition and July printed issue of the journal Radiology.

26 May 2010

FDA warns of side effects from swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially serious side effects from mistakenly swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel, an over-the-counter (OTC) product that should only be used on the skin.

13 May 2010

Gene variations may increase risk of developing schizophrenia: Study

By analyzing the genomes of patients with schizophrenia, genetics researchers have discovered numerous copy number variations—deletions or duplications of DNA sequences—that increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Significantly, many of these variations occur in genes that affect signaling among brain cells.

11 May 2010

Psychotic symptoms in children

Children normally experience flights of fancy, including imaginary friends and conversations with stuffed animals, but some of them are also having hallucinations and delusions which might be the early signs of psychosis.

3 May 2010

Critical experts introduce mild exercise programs to care critically ill patients in ICU

A new report from critical care experts at Johns Hopkins shows that use of prescription sedatives goes down by half so that mild exercise programs can be introduced to the care of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit.

9 Apr 2010

Researchers identify link between genetic mutation and schizophrenia

In what may provide the most compelling evidence to date, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated how a genetic variant may lead to schizophrenia by causing a disruption in communication between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex regions of the brain, areas believed to be responsible for carrying out working memory.

2 Apr 2010

Call to ban Miaow-Miaow - Mephedrone

Mephedrone also known as “m-cat” or “miaow-miaow” is a synthetic stimulant drug that has effects similar to amphetamines and ecstasy. Mephedrone use has spread fast in UK since it emerged at a pop festival on the Isle of Wight in July last year.

30 Mar 2010

FDA approves Mirapex ER tablets for signs and symptoms of idiopathic PD

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved once-daily Mirapex ER® (pramipexole dihydrochloride) extended-release tablets for the signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson's disease, which includes early and advanced PD. PD is the second most common chronic neurological disorder in older adults after Alzheimer's. Parkinson's disease has no cure.

26 Mar 2010

Top behavior problems of elderly parents

New changes made to the Dose Conversion Guidelines on Fentanyl Transdermal Systems

The manufacturers of Fentanyl Transdermal Systems, in collaboration with Health Canada, would like to inform Canadians of important new changes made to the Dose Conversion Guidelines in the Product Monograph. These guidelines are used to help determine what dosage of Fentanyl Transdermal Systems is appropriate for each individual patient.

11 Mar 2010

'Fake pot' can cause hallucinations and seizures

In the last month, Anthony Scalzo, M.D., professor of toxicology at Saint Louis University, has seen nearly 30 cases involving teenagers who were experiencing hallucinations, severe agitation, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, vomiting and, in some cases, tremors and seizures.

4 Mar 2010

Toxins in K2: Saint Louis University professor warns parents to lookout for warning signs

3 Mar 2010

Long-time cannabis use linked to psychosis-related outcomes

Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Mar 2010

Scott & White conducts DBS research for Parkinson's patients

At Scott & White Memorial Hospital, a multi-disciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, neurophysiologist, neuropsychologists and a movement disorders specialist are offering hope to some Parkinson's patients with a treatment called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). DBS involves placing a thin wire that carries electrical currents deep within the brain on Parkinson's patients who are no longer benefitting from medications, and have significant uncontrollable body movements called dyskinesia. Scott & White is also performing research into the effects of DBS on the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease including "drenching sweats," bladder dysfunction, depression, hallucination, anxiety, and dementia as well as intestinal disorders, loss of sense of smell, and sleep disturbances.

27 Jan 2010

New blood test for diagnosing schizophrenia to be launched in 2010

A blood test for diagnosing schizophrenia - the most serious form of mental illness - could be available this year, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

21 Jan 2010

Cognitive fluctuations more likely to occur in older persons with Alzheimer's disease

Cognitive fluctuations, or episodes when train of thought temporarily is lost, are more likely to occur in older persons who are developing Alzheimer's disease than in their healthy peers, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

19 Jan 2010