Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

MRI reveals relationship between depression and pain

The brains of individuals with major depressive disorder appear to react more strongly when anticipating pain and also display altered functioning of the neural network that modifies pain sensitivity, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Nov 2008

Symptoms of fibromyalgia related to dysfunction in parts of brain where pain is processed

Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), researchers in France were able to detect functional abnormalities in certain regions in the brains of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, reinforcing the idea that symptoms of the disorder are related to a dysfunction in those parts of the brain where pain is processed.

4 Nov 2008

Lithium carbonate to be tested for motor neurone disease

Victims of motor neurone disease (MND) will find hope from British research which has found that lithium carbonate, a cheap off-patent drug, may offer a treatment for the disease.

3 Nov 2008

Insomnia linked to a neurochemical abnormality in the brain

Scientists at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have linked insomnia to a neurochemical abnormality in the brain.

3 Nov 2008

Pfizer's Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) receives FDA approval for the treatment of overactive bladder

Pfizer Inc has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) extended release tablets for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.

2 Nov 2008

Three effective treatments for childhood anxiety disorders found

Treatment that combines a certain type of psychotherapy with an antidepressant medication is most likely to help children with anxiety disorders, but each of the treatments alone are also effective, according to a new study funded by the National Institute's of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) The study was published online Oct. 30, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Oct 2008

Pulsed ultrasound used to remote control brain circuits

In a twist on nontraditional uses of ultrasound, a group of neuroscientists at Arizona State University has developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity.

29 Oct 2008

Professor reveals the 'Jennifer Aniston neuron'

According to a top scientist parts of the brain are wired up to be devoted to celebrities.

29 Oct 2008

Female American veterans suffer sexual trauma after Iraq and Afghanistan

According to preliminary research results from a new study, almost 15% of female American veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced sexual trauma during their military service.

29 Oct 2008

New signpost to clinical trial expertise

A new comprehensive online resource listing national expertise in the design and conduct of clinical trials is launched today. The UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Units website provides, for the first time, centralised information on Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) in the UK - including the Bristol Randomised Trials Collaboration (BRTC) at the University of Bristol.

28 Oct 2008

Link found between brain receptors and schizophrenia

Scientists at Newcastle University in the UK have revealed a link between schizophrenia and a lack of specific brain receptors.

28 Oct 2008

Lack of brain NMDA receptors linked to schizophrenia

A lack of specific brain receptors has been linked with schizophrenia in new research by scientists at Newcastle University.

27 Oct 2008

Anxiety disorders latest worry in high blood pressure

Family doctors and psychiatrists should carefully monitor the heart health of patients with anxiety disorders, Dr. Simon Bacon told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2008, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "People with anxiety disorders are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure (hypertension) over one year than those of us who are anxiety free," says Dr. Bacon, a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Hypertension is a leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease."

27 Oct 2008

Memory Pharmaceuticals issued key U.S. patent for series of nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonists

Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp. has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,429,664, which provides composition of matter patent protection for a series of nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonists.

27 Oct 2008

Re-regulating global finance with the poor in mind

For the poor, finance is always about much more than economics. In practical as well as philosophical terms it is a matter of basic human rights. As the dust begins to settle on the global financial crisis it is certain that all economies will suffer. For the rich, OECD states, stagnation or recessionary losses are predicted, and for the emerging (BRIC) economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, growth will significantly slow. But it is in the poorest, least developed states that we will likely see the most dramatic effects, simply because they have less to lose.

27 Oct 2008

Cracking the code of adolecent drug use

A University of Sydney researcher has won a grant to study how exposure to drugs during adolescence affects the brain and behaviour.

23 Oct 2008

Depressed pregnant women have twice the risk of preterm delivery

Depressed pregnant women have twice the risk of preterm delivery than pregnant women with no symptoms of depression, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study is published online in the Oxford University Press's journal Human Reproduction on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

23 Oct 2008

UK teenage suicide rates on the decline

Suicide rates in those aged 10-19 in the UK declined by 28% in the seven year period from 1997-2003, shows a study published today in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Manchester, showed that the decline was particularly marked in young males, where rates declined by 35%.

22 Oct 2008

Developing depression after a heart attack increases one’s risk of death or readmission

Science has found many links between depression and other serious medical illnesses, such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. For example, people who develop depression following a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or chest pain (angina) have an elevated risk of cardiac death or hospital readmission over the following year.

22 Oct 2008

Direct link found between college students' health and academic achievement

Research from the United States has found that lack of sleep, excessive computer screen time and stress have a negative effect on college students' grades.

22 Oct 2008