Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Neurotransmitter glutamate plays role in alcohol cravings, IU-led study finds

A study led by Indiana University on neurochemical changes associated with alcohol addiction found that the neurotransmitter glutamate plays a role in some alcohol cravings.

13 Feb 2018

Cannabis use triggers schizophrenia and other psychiatric issues

Schizophrenia and other psychiatric issues may be triggered by marijuana use, according to a research analysis in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

12 Feb 2018

Burnout makes many GPs to quit general practice

More than half of GPs are planning to leave general practice says the first look at the recruitment crisis. More than a thousand GPs have sought professional help from the NHS GP Health Service since it was set up in 2017, with most cases involving stress, anxiety and depression and about 2% addiction.

12 Feb 2018

Before-school physical activity program leads to improvement in body weight, wellness of children

Children participating in a 12-week, before-school physical activity program experienced improvement in body weight and social/emotional wellness, compared with their classmates who did not participate.

12 Feb 2018

Study explores link between sibling bullying and risk of psychotic disorders

People who were bullied by siblings during childhood are up to three times more likely to develop psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia in early adulthood, according to new research by the University of Warwick.

12 Feb 2018

Study provides new evidence of biological link between diet and depression

New evidence of a biological link between diet and depression has come from the first study to analyze associations between diet, body mass index, inflammatory markers and mental health in adolescents.

12 Feb 2018

Findings reveal dramatic landscape of genetic changes in the brain in response to visual stimulation

"Nature and nurture is a convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed.

9 Feb 2018

Research funded by NIH grant aims to discover crucial role of 'invisible' cells

Neurons are the star of the show in brain science, but they don't work alone to process information. In new research funded by a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, a team at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory aims to discover the likely crucial role of the supporting cast member with a stellar-sounding name: the astrocyte.

9 Feb 2018

Japanese study seeks to establish link between insomnia and depression

Lay people tend to think that insomnia is usually a symptom of something else, like stress, a bad diet or a sedentary lifestyle, but this may not be true at all.

9 Feb 2018

Gene expression is rhythmic in most tissue types

Researchers have mapped primate gene expression throughout the day and discovered that the majority of critical gene activity is time dependent, which may aid the development of new treatments for many diseases.

9 Feb 2018

Study reveals the link between genetic variations and major psychiatric disorders

Psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, autism, and bipolar disorder share common molecular characteristics, despite variations in gene expression.

9 Feb 2018

Gladstone scientists uncover how fast-spiking interneurons improve procedural learning

Even if you haven't ridden your bike in years, you probably remember how to do so without giving it much thought.

9 Feb 2018

Scientists design new triple labeling technique to analyze stem cell division

A joint team of scientists from Russia and the United States designed a method for marking dividing stem cells with three different labels.

8 Feb 2018

QUT researchers identify drug that could reverse brain deficits caused by alcohol

Queensland University of Technology researchers have identified a drug that could potentially help our brains reboot and reverse the damaging impacts of heavy alcohol consumption on regeneration of brain cells.

8 Feb 2018

Symptoms of alcoholism affect prescription drug adherence to treat disease

Symptoms of alcoholism make it more difficult for some people to regularly take the prescription drug naltrexone, which could help treat their disease, a researcher at Oregon State University has found.

8 Feb 2018

New research signals potential breakthrough for adults with ASD

New collaborative research out of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and the Department of Psychiatry signals a potential breakthrough for adults with autism spectrum disorder.

8 Feb 2018

Bipartisan Senate budget deal boosts health programs

In a rare show of bipartisanship for the mostly polarized 115th Congress, Republican and Democratic Senate leaders announced a two-year budget deal that would increase federal spending for defense as well as key domestic priorities, including many health programs.

8 Feb 2018

Positivity keeps dementia at bay finds study

Persons who have developed positive attitudes towards life and aging are less likely to develop dementia finds a new study. Becca Levy from the Yale School of Public Health, USA, and colleagues have published the reports of this encouraging study in the latest issue of the journal PLOS ONE.

8 Feb 2018

FDA warning against Kratom strengthened

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amped up its warnings against popular herbal drug kratom. The new warning mentions the deadly risks associated with kratom including a case of a teenager who hanged himself under influence.

8 Feb 2018

Patients with multimorbidity suffer from high out-of-pocket costs

Current strategies for treating patients with several chronic diseases are putting an unnecessary financial burden on countries' health systems and individuals, a global study led by the National University of Singapore and the University of Melbourne has found.

7 Feb 2018