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.

Molecular switch provides insights into a form of altered brain activity occurring in schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia have an alteration in a pattern of brain electrical activity associated with learning and memory. Now, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Sweden's Karolinska Institute have identified in mouse brain tissue a molecular switch that, when thrown, increases the strength of this electrical pattern. The researchers found that adding the brain chemical Neuregulin-1 to the brain tissue boosted the electrical signals that the tissue generated.

13 Aug 2008

Oestrogen - a beneficial addition to treatment of schizophrenia in women

Australian scientists have found that women suffering from schizophrenia were less likely to suffer hallucinations or delusions, when the hormone oestrogen was added to their treatment.

4 Aug 2008

Improving the prognosis for schizophrenic disorders

Throughout the world, scientists are attempting to recognize and treat schizophrenic disorders at an earlier stage. It is hoped that this will improve the prognosis, which has often been unfavorable.

31 Jul 2008

Can knowledge of objects be used to identify color?

One of the easiest ways to identify an object is by its color -- perhaps it is because children's books encourage us to pair certain objects with their respective colors. Why else would so many of us automatically assume carrots are orange, grass is green and apples are red?

22 Jul 2008

Incorrectly cleaved protein leads to schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a disease that strikes an average of 4,000 Belgians every year. The causes of this psychiatric disorder are not yet clear.

14 Jul 2008

Nicotine use and narcolepsy

A research abstract that will be presented on Monday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), provides the first description of nicotine use by narcolepsy patients.

9 Jun 2008

Mylan announces final FDA approval for Zaleplon capsules, generic version of Sonata

Mylan Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, Genpharm ULC, has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Zaleplon Capsules, 5 mg and 10 mg.

9 Jun 2008

Lack of motivation in schizophrenia linked to brain chemical imbalance

A study of patients with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia suggests an alternative explanation for why many sufferers lack motivation. The research is described in BioMed Central's journal BMC Psychiatry.

8 May 2008

Nurse care for schizophrenia patients

Drug and psychosocial interventions for the symptoms of schizophrenic disorders contribute to a lower incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia. Nurses will be able to offer better care through the use of nursing models and theories in the care of Schizophrenics.

6 May 2008

Children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit

Nearly one in three children admitted to pediatric intensive care will experience delusions or hallucinations, which put them at higher risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms, according to a new study of children's experiences in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

1 May 2008

Scientists explore brain's reaction to potent hallucinogen

Brain-imaging studies performed in animals at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory provide researchers with clues about why an increasingly popular recreational drug that causes hallucinations and motor-function impairment in humans is abused.

28 Apr 2008

Three bitten by rabid dog in Britain

A dog imported into Britain from Sri Lanka has died of rabies but not before it had bitten three people.

28 Apr 2008

Dopamine agonists reduce motor complications in Parkinson's disease, but increase other side-effects

Dopamine agonists are increasingly used to treat people with Parkinson's disease, but there is a debate about how well they work.

17 Apr 2008

Over-the-counter sale of child cough medicine for young children to be banned

As from September this year the over-the-counter sale of cough medicines for children under the age of two years old will be banned in Australia.

9 Apr 2008

Treatment with an anti-psychotic drug found to cause changes in metabolism earlier than expected

Schizophrenia is a complex type of psychotic mental illness characterized by thoughts that are uncoupled from reality.

8 Apr 2008

New mouse model of bipolar disorder

Bipolar Disorder (BPD or manic-depressive illness) is one of the most serious of all mental disorders, affecting millions of individuals worldwide.

13 Mar 2008

High prevalence of eating disorders in narcoleptics

The majority of patients with narcolepsy/cataplexy experience a number of symptoms of eating disorders, with an irresistible craving for food and binge eating as the most prominent features, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

3 Mar 2008