Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

First record of direct link between Alzheimer's disease and elevated brain aluminium

Research at Keele University in Staffordshire, UK, has shown for the first time that an individual who was exposed to aluminium at work and died of Alzheimer's disease had high levels of aluminium in the brain.

14 Feb 2014

Highlights: Vaccine exemption bills rarely become law; Ariz. group urges public hospital changes; Florida foster kids care

Legislation to change whether parents may refuse school vaccinations for their children appears to be common in some states, according to a new analysis. However, those bills are rarely passed into law. Researchers identified 36 bills that were introduced in 18 state legislatures between 2009 and 2012 to change school immunization requirements. Most of those bills aimed to allow more parents the ability to refuse vaccinations for their children (Seaman, 2/12).

14 Feb 2014

TSRI receives $2.3M to study long-term memory deficits that contribute to brain diseases

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been awarded approximately $2.3 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to study the processes involved in long-term memory and how deficits in those processes contribute to brain diseases.

14 Feb 2014

Scientists identify network of genes that controls human brain activity, memory and schizophrenia

Many psychiatric disorders are accompanied by memory deficits. Basel scientists have now identified a network of genes that controls fundamental properties of neurons and is important for human brain activity, memory and the development of schizophrenia.

14 Feb 2014

Persons with severe symptoms of mental illness are at higher risk for being HIV-infected

People receiving mental health care are up to four times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, according to a new study published Feb. 13 in the American Journal of Public Health from researchers at Penn Medicine and other institutions who tested over 1,000 patients in care in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

14 Feb 2014

Poor quality sleep may cause widespread pain later in life

Poor quality sleep may be partly responsible for the aches and pains people develop as they grow older, according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

13 Feb 2014

Common mutations produce typical schizophrenia brain changes

Mutations in dopamine-related genes have a dose-response effect on prefrontal activation during emotional response inhibition in healthy adults, a study shows.

13 Feb 2014

Consistent mania monitoring during perinatal period warranted

Pregnant and postpartum women with bipolar disorder experience clinically severe symptoms, suggesting the need for continued monitoring of mania during this time, say researchers.

13 Feb 2014

Researchers reveal how genome-editing tool works as 'guided missile' to correct errors in genetic code

Researchers from the Broad Institute and MIT have teamed up with colleagues from the University of Tokyo to form the first high definition picture of the Cas9 complex - a key part of the CRISPR-Cas system used by scientists as a genome-editing tool to silence genes and probe the biology of cells. Their findings, which are reported this week in Cell, are expected to help researchers refine and further engineer the tool to accelerate genomic research and bring the technology closer to use in the treatment of human genetic disease.

13 Feb 2014

New research identifies raised risk of self-harm among patients with certain physical illnesses

New research quantifying the risk of admission to hospital for self-harm has identified a raised risk of self-harm among groups of patients with certain physical illnesses. While it is known that psychiatric illnesses are associated with a greatly elevated risk of self-harm, a moderately elevated risk was seen with common physical illnesses such as diabetes, epilepsy and asthma.

13 Feb 2014

GOP states struggling with Medicaid expansion issues

Meanwhile, McClatchy News reports that higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse among the newly enrolled will be a problem because there aren't enough therapists who accept Medicaid patients. Medicaid expansion developments in New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wyoming and Virginia are also covered.

13 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 13, 2014

Today's headlines include news coverage of yesterday's update from the Obama administration regarding the number of people who have enrolled in private health insurance through the health law's online marketplaces.

13 Feb 2014

State highlights: More states gearing up to combine Medicare, Medicaid; vaccination exemptions still considered by many states; likely Texas democratic Gov. Candidate backs 20-week abortion ban

A selection of health policy stories from California, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Connecticut.

13 Feb 2014

Researchers identify effective target for human autoimmune disease

Researchers at King's College London have identified a new gene (PIM1), which could be an effective target for innovative treatments and therapies for the human autoimmune disease, psoriasis.

13 Feb 2014

UMMS launches Voyager Therapeutics to develop life-changing treatments for fatal diseases

UMass Medical School (UMMS) recognizes the launch today of Voyager Therapeutics, a gene therapy company founded by four world leaders in the fields of AAV gene therapy, RNA biology and neuroscience, to develop life-changing treatments for fatal and debilitating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).

13 Feb 2014

Rhythmicity of activity linked to bipolar mania

Circadian rhythm disturbances are associated with bipolar disorder, and particularly with mania, indicate study findings.

12 Feb 2014

Adolescents with psychiatric problems more likely to suffer chronic pain

For the first time researchers have studied the kind of physical pain that troubles adolescents with different mental health problems.

12 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 12, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about President Barack Obama's comments yesterday on his administration's decision to decision to give mid-sized businesses more time to comply with the health law's employer mandate.

12 Feb 2014

Chronic stress generates long-term changes in brain that lead to mental problems

University of California, Berkeley, researchers have shown that chronic stress generates long-term changes in the brain that may explain why people suffering chronic stress are prone to mental problems such as anxiety and mood disorders later in life.

12 Feb 2014

Researchers investigate sex differences in brain structure

Reviewing over 20 years of neuroscience research into sex differences in brain structure, a Cambridge University team has conducted the first meta-analysis of the evidence, published this week in the prestigious journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.

12 Feb 2014

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

First record of direct link between Alzheimer's disease and elevated brain aluminium

Highlights: Vaccine exemption bills rarely become law; Ariz. group urges public hospital changes; Florida foster kids care

TSRI receives $2.3M to study long-term memory deficits that contribute to brain diseases

Scientists identify network of genes that controls human brain activity, memory and schizophrenia

Persons with severe symptoms of mental illness are at higher risk for being HIV-infected

Poor quality sleep may cause widespread pain later in life

Common mutations produce typical schizophrenia brain changes

Consistent mania monitoring during perinatal period warranted

Researchers reveal how genome-editing tool works as 'guided missile' to correct errors in genetic code

New research identifies raised risk of self-harm among patients with certain physical illnesses

GOP states struggling with Medicaid expansion issues

First Edition: February 13, 2014

State highlights: More states gearing up to combine Medicare, Medicaid; vaccination exemptions still considered by many states; likely Texas democratic Gov. Candidate backs 20-week abortion ban

Researchers identify effective target for human autoimmune disease

UMMS launches Voyager Therapeutics to develop life-changing treatments for fatal diseases

Rhythmicity of activity linked to bipolar mania

Adolescents with psychiatric problems more likely to suffer chronic pain

First Edition: February 12, 2014

Chronic stress generates long-term changes in brain that lead to mental problems

Researchers investigate sex differences in brain structure

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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