Psychiatry News and Research

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

Brain region recovery possible in former methamphetamine users

Adaptive changes in chemical activity in certain regions of the brain of former methamphetamine users who have not used the drug for a year or more suggest some recovery of neuronal structure and function, according to an article in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

4 Apr 2005

Low levels of oral cannabis induces psychosis

Recreational cannabis use has previously been associated with psychotic reactions even in clinical situations where cannabis is administered orally at low doses, now Swiss researcher Dr. Bernard Favrat and colleagues at Institut Universitaire de Medicine Legale in Lausanne have confirmed this in the first such report, in closely monitored subjects participating in a clinical trial.

4 Apr 2005

Study looks at infants and chronic nighttime crying

Two University of Maine researchers working in conjunction with colleagues in Japan have found links between infant and child sleeping arrangements and the phenomenon of "yonaki," or nighttime crying.

3 Apr 2005

Cannabis-based medicines given in a highly-controlled clinical environment unexpectedly lead to strong psychotic effects

Volunteers taking cannabis-based therapeutic drugs as part of a controlled trial, which had been approved by an ethics board as safe for the subjects, experienced psychotic effects just as strong as if they had smoked cannabis. These findings, highly unexpected in such a controlled environment, are published today in the peer-reviewed, Open Access journal BMC Psychiatry.

3 Apr 2005

Location on chromosome 2 that may contain one or more genes that contribute to dyslexia

Researchers trying to tease out the genetic basis of dyslexia have discovered a location on chromosome 2 that may contain one or more genes that contribute to the reading disorder and make it difficult for people to rapidly pronounce pseudowords.

3 Apr 2005

Images of brain activity may hold clues to the onset of schizophrenia

Images of brain activity may hold clues to the onset of schizophrenia in people at high risk for the disease, according to a study headed by psychiatry researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

21 Mar 2005

New self-help technology set to combat eating disorders

A new interactive multi-media self-help package for people diagnosed with eating disorders developed by a medical researcher at the University of Glasgow is now set to be delivered over the internet to adolescent sufferers.

21 Mar 2005

Cymbalta improves cognitive function in elderly patients with depression

Elderly patients with depression treated with Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride), 60 mg once daily, had twice as much improvement in verbal learning and recalling information than those given a sugar pill, according to new research presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

8 Mar 2005

Two important brain systems can influence an individual's behavior and emotional expression in times of need

The willingness to call out in distress to get help from others appears to be regulated by two brain systems with very different responsibilities, according to a study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

7 Mar 2005

College students not at a greater risk for alcohol dependence problems

Although college students had higher rates of yearly, monthly, and weekly alcohol use than their peers not attending college, they did not appear to be at a greater risk for alcohol dependence problems, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Mar 2005

Association between cigarette smoking and suicidal thoughts and attempts

Suicidal thoughts or attempts are associated with daily smoking in current smokers, but not former smokers, according to an article in Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Mar 2005

Cognitive behavioral therapy and medication is effective in the treatment of panic disorder

Therapy for panic disorder that combines an evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with medication may be more effective than the usual care offered to these patients in a primary care setting, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Mar 2005

Autistic children shy from eye contact because they perceive even the most familiar face as an uncomfortable threat

The work deepens understanding of an autistic brain's function and may one day inform new treatment approaches and augment how teachers interact with their autistic students.

6 Mar 2005

Autism and MMR, no link found

Fears that the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella could cause autism were first raised in 1998 by a gastroenterologist, Andrew Wakefield, his research has been largely discredited. and any lingering doubt of a link between autism and MMR has been completely dispelled by a new study that found withdrawing the vaccine did nothing to slow the rise in children diagnosed with the condition.

3 Mar 2005

Helping parents quit smoking should be considered in future public-health interventions that target youth smoking

A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center suggests that parents who quit smoking when their children are young may have a big influence on whether their offspring will quit smoking as young adults.

1 Mar 2005

Naltrexone may help men and women quit smoking without gaining weight

Naltrexone is a medication that blocks the effects of drugs such as morphine, heroin and codeine. It also has been approved for use in treating alcoholism and is being investigated for its ability to help smokers quit.

28 Feb 2005

Middle-aged women who take an active role in their health care may be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease

The results, presented today at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting, suggest women who believe they should take charge of their health, rather than rely solely on treatment by doctors, have fewer signs of pre-clinical atherosclerosis.

28 Feb 2005

Children suffering from ADHD may be ignoring visual information to their left

Children suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be ignoring visual information to their left and being diagnosed mistakenly as having dyslexia, according to new research by Dr Tom Manly and colleagues at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge and published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Brain and Cognition.

27 Feb 2005

Cutting edge technology identifies genes that are involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease

Phoenix-Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Kronos Science Laboratories, an affiliate of Phoenix-based Kronos Optimal Health Company, have initiated a study with unprecedented power to identify genes that are involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of disabling memory and thinking problems in older persons.

24 Feb 2005

Were bigger brains really smarter?

Bigger is smarter is better. That's the conventional wisdom for why the human brain gradually became three times larger than the ancestral brain.

23 Feb 2005

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Brain region recovery possible in former methamphetamine users

Low levels of oral cannabis induces psychosis

Study looks at infants and chronic nighttime crying

Cannabis-based medicines given in a highly-controlled clinical environment unexpectedly lead to strong psychotic effects

Location on chromosome 2 that may contain one or more genes that contribute to dyslexia

Images of brain activity may hold clues to the onset of schizophrenia

New self-help technology set to combat eating disorders

Cymbalta improves cognitive function in elderly patients with depression

Two important brain systems can influence an individual's behavior and emotional expression in times of need

College students not at a greater risk for alcohol dependence problems

Association between cigarette smoking and suicidal thoughts and attempts

Cognitive behavioral therapy and medication is effective in the treatment of panic disorder

Autistic children shy from eye contact because they perceive even the most familiar face as an uncomfortable threat

Autism and MMR, no link found

Helping parents quit smoking should be considered in future public-health interventions that target youth smoking

Naltrexone may help men and women quit smoking without gaining weight

Middle-aged women who take an active role in their health care may be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease

Children suffering from ADHD may be ignoring visual information to their left

Cutting edge technology identifies genes that are involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease

Were bigger brains really smarter?

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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