Psychiatry News and Research

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

New mechanistic explanation of how the brain interprets stress signals

Chronic stress takes a physical and emotional toll on our bodies and scientists are working on piecing together a medical puzzle to understand how we respond to stress at the cellular level in the brain.

2 Mar 2009

Better diagnosis and treatment of concussions in children

It's estimated that more than a half million kids in the U.S. go to the hospital each year with a concussion.

2 Mar 2009

Alcohol abuse may lead to depression risk, rather than vice versa

A statistical modeling study suggests that problems with alcohol abuse may lead to an increased risk of depression, as opposed to the reverse model in which individuals with depression self-medicate with alcohol, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

2 Mar 2009

Chantix may also help people control drinking

A popular smoking cessation drug dramatically reduced the amount a heavy drinker will consume, a new Yale School of Medicine study has found.

2 Mar 2009

Epstein-Barr virus may be associated with progression of multiple sclerosis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the pathogen that causes mononucleosis, appears to play a role in the neurodegeneration that occurs in persons with multiple sclerosis, researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Trieste, Italy, have shown.

2 Mar 2009

Drug combo shows potential for treating extensively drug resistant tuberculosis

A combination of two FDA-approved drugs, already approved for fighting other bacterial infections, shows potential for treating extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), the most deadly form of the infection.

26 Feb 2009

A second MND gene mutation in one year signifies rapid research progress

A collaborative research project involving Professor Christopher Shaw of the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London (KCL), Dr Tom Kwiatkowski at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Professor Robert H Brown at University of Massachusetts, has revealed that mutations in a gene called FUS (fused in sarcoma) cause familial Motor Neuron Disease (also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

26 Feb 2009

Perinatal anxiety - the hidden disorder

You've probably heard of postpartum depression - a common problem after pregnancy, suffered by about one in seven new mothers.

25 Feb 2009

Researchers identify molecule that helps the sleep-deprived to mentally rebound

Sleep experts know that the mental clarity lost because of a few sleepless nights can often be restored with a good night's rest. Now, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a key molecular mechanism that regulates the brain's ability to mentally compensate for sleep deprivation.

25 Feb 2009

Researchers identify key molecular mechanism that regulates brain's ability to mentally compensate for sleep deprivation

Sleep experts know that the mental clarity lost because of a few sleepless nights can often be restored with a good night's rest.

24 Feb 2009

Treating drug-addicted doctors is good medicine

Doctors who become addicted to alcohol and other drugs can be treated successfully and returned to medical practice with the help of special programs that couple referral to treatment and monitoring with rapid responses to noncompliance, University of Florida researchers report.

24 Feb 2009

Hormone disorder drug cabergoline could help drinkers stay sober

A drug prescribed for male and female infertility and menstrual disorders could hold the key to a more effective treatment for alcoholism, according to a study by researchers at the UCSF-affiliated Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center.

23 Feb 2009

Stanford/Packard researchers recruit children for study of the biology of autism

Scientists have put forward many theories about why children with autism struggle to communicate with other people, but they have yet to find definitive answers.

23 Feb 2009

Mechanisms that prevent Alzheimer's Disease: Enzymatic activity plays key role

In a project involving the collaboration of several institutes, research scientists of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have succeeded in gaining further insight in the functioning of endogenous mechanisms that protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease.

23 Feb 2009

Shire to enter European ADHD market with acquisition of EQUASYM IR and XL

Shire plc has announced that it has signed an agreement with UCB to acquire the worldwide rights to EQUASYM IR and XL (methylphenidate hydrochloride) (excluding the USA, Canada and Barbados) used for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

22 Feb 2009

New treatment approach needed for management of depression with bipolar disorder

In a study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, a team of researchers led by Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Mark Frye, M.D., attempted to identify what factors make some people with bipolar depression more likely to experience treatment-emergent mania (TEM).

15 Feb 2009

New method to stimulate immune system may be effective at reducing amyloid burden in Alzheimer?s

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a novel way to stimulate the innate immune system of mice with Alzheimer's disease (AD) - leading to reduced amyloid deposits and the prevention of Alzheimer's disease related pathology - without causing toxic side effects.

15 Feb 2009