Psychiatry News and Research

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

Interpretation of multiple gene function may hold clue to autism

Deciphering the functions of multiple rare genes may be at the core of understanding the genetic factors that cause autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to a new study published June 9 in the journal Nature by dozens of top autism researchers around the world, including Yale Child Study Center Director Fred R. Volkmar, M.D.

11 Jun 2010

Research may lead to better treatments for depression and substance abuse

In what has been hailed as a breakthrough, scientists from Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College have outlined the molecular mechanism of membrane transport. The research shows how a protein transforms its shape to transport substances across the cell membrane in order to regulate transmission of the brain's messages across the synaptic gap from one neuron to another.

11 Jun 2010

Hypertension linked to severity of bipolar disorders

Nearly half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may suffer from hypertension, and the younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure, according to a recent Michigan State University study.

11 Jun 2010

FDA advisory committee recommends approval of Novartis' FTY720 for relapsing MS

Today, an advisory committee of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended approval of FTY720 (fingolimod) for the treatment of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis, the most common form of the disease. The FDA has the option of seeking the advice of one of its advisory committees as it reviews and decides whether to approve a new treatment. The committee voted unanimously that FTY720 demonstrated substantial efficacy in treating relapsing remitting MS and that safety of the proposed 0.5 mg dose justified approval.

11 Jun 2010

Gambling addiction can be inherited equally by sons and daughters: Study

Gambling is linked to a gene that is passed on through generations and a new study claims that it is passed on to both sons and daughters alike. The study published in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry says, that genes rule at least 50 percent of a persons propensity to gamble irrespective of sex. Genes have been linked earlier to gambling but this is the first time women are also said to inherit the trait.

10 Jun 2010

Copy number variants may cause autism: Study

An international consortium of researchers from more than 70 universities, including the University of Utah, has reported that a study of nearly 2,300 people supports the growing consensus that autism is caused in part by rare genetic changes called copy number variants (CNVs).

10 Jun 2010

New genetic discoveries from Autism Genome Project

An international consortium of researchers working under the auspices of Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, has announced new genetic discoveries from the second phase of its collaborative study: the Autism Genome Project. The results were published today in the journal Nature, one of the world's most respected peer-reviewed scientific publications.

10 Jun 2010

World's largest DNA scan reveals new genetic changes in autistic children

The world's largest DNA scan for familial autism has uncovered new genetic changes in autistic children that are often not present in their parents. Identified in less than 1 percent of the population, these rare variants occur nearly 20 percent more in autistic children.

10 Jun 2010

Men with MS may require education, support to manage their disease and therapy: Research

New research co-published by Saint Louis University and Express Scripts, Inc., suggests that men with multiple sclerosis may require more education and support to manage their disease and therapy than women with MS. Men also may benefit from more targeted adherence interventions.

10 Jun 2010

Autism is caused in part by CNVs: Study

10 Jun 2010

Highly variable sleep schedules predict elevated suicide risk

Highly variable sleep schedules predict an elevated risk for suicide independent of depression in actively suicidal young adults, according to a research abstract that will be presented Tuesday, June 8, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

9 Jun 2010

Genetic influences play important role in development of gambling disorders: Report

Genetic influences appear important in the development of gambling disorders in both women and men, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

Secondhand smoke exposure associated with psychological distress

Exposure to secondhand smoke appears to be associated with psychological distress and the risk of future psychiatric hospitalization among healthy adults, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the August print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

Combat in Iraq associated with post-deployment PTSD, depression in 8.5 to 14% of soldiers

Between 8.5 percent and 14 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq report serious functional impairment due to either posttraumatic stress disorder or depression, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

FSPs designed to improve residential stability, mental health outcomes for homeless persons with mental illness

Full-Service Partnerships are designed to do 'whatever it takes' to improve residential stability and mental health outcomes for homeless persons with serious mental illness. They are the cornerstone of California's Mental Health Services Act - one of the largest mental health policy experiments in recent history.

8 Jun 2010

Older veterans with PTSD more likely to develop dementia: Report

Older veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder appear more likely to develop dementia over a seven-year period than those without PTSD, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

Excessive sleepiness more common in the U.S. than in Europe: Research

Excessive sleepiness is more common in the U.S. than in Europe, which raises concerns for public health and safety, according to a research abstract that will be presented Tuesday, June 8, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

8 Jun 2010

SHS exposure associated with psychological distress, risk of future psychiatric illness: UCL research

Second hand smoke exposure is associated with psychological distress and risk of future psychiatric illness, according to new UCL research that suggests the harmful affects of passive smoking go beyond physical health.

8 Jun 2010

Assured Pharmacy launches new website

Assured Pharmacy, a pharmacy service healthcare organization operating a chain of specialty pharmacies providing advanced prescription medication fulfillment solutions to sufferers of chronic pain, is pleased to announce the launch of its new website: www.assuredrxservices.com.

7 Jun 2010

Study provides new insight into how brain responds to light

Exposure to extraordinarily brief, millisecond flashes of bright light improves alertness at night, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

7 Jun 2010