Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

High glucose impairs circadian clock function, may increase cardiovascular risk

High glucose in obesity appears to gum up the works of the circadian clocks inside our cells that help regulate the timing of many body functions across the 24-hour day and drive the risk of cardiovascular disease, scientists say.

22 Oct 2019

Researchers develop simple, low-cost way to predict preeclampsia

Australian researchers have developed a way to predict the onset of a deadly pregnancy condition that kills 76,000 women and half a million babies each year, mostly in developing countries.

22 Oct 2019

One in three patients may experience side effects from ketamine infusions for pain management

As the opioid epidemic continues to devastate the United States, ketamine use has grown as a pain management alternative, yet more than one in three patients may experience side effects such as hallucinations and visual disturbances, suggests new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2019 annual meeting.

21 Oct 2019

IBD far more common than expected, and will only increase in future

There are three times as many people with the chronic and debilitating bowel disorder called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as ever thought before, according to a new study presented today at UEG Week 2019, at Barcelona. Not only is the condition a distressing one in itself, but patients with IBD have a higher risk of colorectal cancer as well.

21 Oct 2019

Autism spectrum disorder could be triggered by low placental steroid levels

A recent experimental study has shown that one reason for the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could be the deficit of a placental steroid hormone called allopregnanolone. The reason is that this hormone plays a critical role in the normal development of the brain in fetal life.

21 Oct 2019

Research shows brain's immune system gets activated by stress during pregnancy

Chronic stress during pregnancy triggers an immune response in the brain that has potential to alter brain functions in ways that could contribute to postpartum depression, new research in animals suggests.

21 Oct 2019

Immune cells rewire, repair brain while we sleep, study shows

Science tells us that a lot of good things happen in our brains while we sleep - learning and memories are consolidated and waste is removed, among other things.

21 Oct 2019

Pluripotent stem cells help advance understanding of how Huntington's disease develops

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal hereditary disease for which there is no cure. A novel study from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, using pluripotent stem cells advances understanding of how the disease develops and may help pave the way for identifying pathways for future treatments.

21 Oct 2019

Study finds no link between youth contact sports and cognitive, mental health problems

Adolescents who play contact sports, including football, are no more likely to experience cognitive impairment, depression or suicidal thoughts in early adulthood than their peers, suggests a new University of Colorado Boulder study of nearly 11,000 youth followed for 14 years.

21 Oct 2019

Rutgers launches nation's first peer support helpline for the legally blind

Rutgers has launched the nation's first peer support helpline for the legally blind and their families.

21 Oct 2019

Timing of food may be nearly as important as how much we eat

Most of what we believe about eating and health stems from decades of research based on a simple premise: The amount of calories consumed affects one's ability to maintain a healthy weight and live longer.

21 Oct 2019

NCATS funds 'All of Us Research Program' to evaluate innovative DNA sequencing tools

The All of Us Research Program has selected the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama, to evaluate the use of leading-edge DNA sequencing technologies that could someday improve diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, both common and rare.

18 Oct 2019

New NIH BRAIN Initiative awards accelerate the pace of neuroscience research

Scientists have been developing astounding new tools for exploring neural circuits that underlie brain function throughout the first five years of the National Institutes of Health's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative.

18 Oct 2019