Pathophysiology News and Research

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Caution advised over OCT measurement of thick choroid

Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography is consistent for measuring choroidal thickness, researchers confirm, but its accuracy may be impaired in eyes with a very thick choroid.

11 Dec 2014

Elevated anxious temperament associated with neuropeptide Y receptors

Persistent anxiety is one of the most common and distressing symptoms compromising mental health. Most of the research on the neurobiology of anxiety has focused on the generation of increased anxiety, i.e., the processes that "turn on" anxiety.

3 Dec 2014

Neuroimaging markers have synergistic effect on cognitive decline

The Alzheimer disease neuroimaging markers β-amyloid and neurodegeneration have synergistic effects on the rate of cognitive decline in clinically normal people, research shows.

2 Dec 2014

New blood test could help detect cold-related asthma risk

People who have asthma generally suffer worse with colds caused by rhinoviruses than other people do. There are also asthmatics and patients with the severe lung condition COPD in whom the cold virus can trigger serious flare-ups of their condition. A team of researchers from the Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research at the MedUni Vienna has now discovered how this risk group can be filtered out using a blood test.

2 Dec 2014

Variants of ASIC1a gene appear to be associated with panic disorder

Panic disorder is a severe form of anxiety in which the affected individual feels an abrupt onset of fear, often accompanied by profound physical symptoms of discomfort. Scientists have known from studying twins that genes contribute to the risk of panic disorder, but very little is known about which specific genes are involved.

2 Dec 2014

Training medical students on handheld ultrasound device can enhance their physical diagnosis

A new study by researchers from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that training medical students to use a handheld ultrasound device can enhance the accuracy of their physical diagnosis.

21 Nov 2014

Successful antipsychotic treatment may alter striatal connectivity

Connectivity within the striatum changes as psychotic symptoms improve in patients treated with second-generation antipsychotics, a study shows.

20 Nov 2014

Scientists receive NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants for mental health research

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation today announced the award of NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grants valued at $1.5 million to 15 scientists, who are full professors or the equivalent, conducting innovative projects in diverse areas of neurobiological and behavioral research.

13 Nov 2014

Experts review advances in understanding, treatment of bipolar disorder

Several lines of research have opened exciting new frontiers in scientific understanding and clinical management of bipolar disorder. Recent advances in bipolar disease research are described in this month's special issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

11 Nov 2014

Study identifies new targets for developing novel treatment for alcohol dependence

Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract fulfill many vital functions and are critical for digestion. Yet, these same bacteria can induce strong inflammatory responses by the immune system if they penetrate the gut and enter the bloodstream.

31 Oct 2014

Ghrelin has potential to stimulate alcohol craving, study reveals

Ghrelin is a hormone released by the stomach and it stimulates appetite and food intake. Alcohol is commonly viewed as a psychoactive substance that primarily affects brain function, but it is also a highly caloric food.

30 Oct 2014

Genetic risk for ADHD contributes to language, attention deficits in general population

Are deficits in attention limited to those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or is there a spectrum of attention function in the general population?

17 Oct 2014

Henrik Kehlet recognized with ASA's 2014 Excellence in Research Award

The American Society of Anesthesiologists today presented Henrik Kehlet, M.D., Ph.D., with its 2014 Excellence in Research Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research which have had an important impact on anesthesiology as a medical specialty.

14 Oct 2014

Complex associations underlie functional variance in schizophrenia

The complex associations between predictors and mediators of real-life functioning highlight the need for integrated and personalised treatment for patients with schizophrenia, say researchers in World Psychiatry.

8 Oct 2014

New study reports how TMS treatment works in people with depression

On Star Trek, it is easy to take for granted the incredible ability of futuristic doctors to wave small devices over the heads of both humans and aliens, diagnose their problems through evaluating changes in brain activity or chemistry, and then treat behavior problems by selectively stimulating relevant brain circuits.

30 Sep 2014

Weight cycling linked to relapse-prone bipolar course

Patients with bipolar disorder are more likely than healthy controls to have a history of weight cycling, which in turn is associated with an increased likelihood of manic and depressive episodes, researchers report.

25 Sep 2014

‘Missing’ schizophrenia heritability found

Researchers have matched up single nucleotide polymorphism sets with clinical syndromes to show that previously identified genetic variants can account for nearly all cases of schizophrenia.

25 Sep 2014

GWU researcher receives AHA grant to study diffuse brain swelling, injury in ICH patients

Shahram Majidi, M.D., a second-year resident in the Department of Neurology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, received at $154K grant from the American Heart Association to study the presence of diffuse brain swelling and injury in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

22 Sep 2014

Resting-state brainwaves altered in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia have increased resting-state gamma-band connectivity in a distinct region of the brain, and the increases correlate with clinical symptoms, research shows.

18 Sep 2014

New study sheds light on relationship between schizophrenia and smoking stems

Schizophrenia is associated with increased rates and intensity of tobacco smoking. A growing body of research suggests that the relationship between schizophrenia and smoking stems, in part, from an effort by patients to use nicotine to self-medicate symptoms and cognitive impairment associated with the disease.

17 Sep 2014