Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Researchers discover gene for new form of intellectual disability

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) led a study discovering a gene for a new form of intellectual disability, as well as how it likely affects cognitive development by disrupting neuron functioning.

27 Apr 2012

Highlights: Cuomo's plan for out-of-network charges runs into trouble; Federal agents seize patient records in Houston mental hospital

Today's news on local health policy issues comes from New York, Connecticut, Mississippi, Colorado, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina and Kansas.

27 Apr 2012

GAO report: Millions of adults have pre-existing conditions

A report issued by the Government Accountability Office estimated that between 36 million and 112 million American adults have some form of pre-existing condition that could result in health coverage denials or restrictions.

27 Apr 2012

Conference to focus on deep brain stimulation for OCD, depression

Deep brain stimulation, increasingly recognized as an effective therapy for certain cases of Parkinson's disease, dystonia and tremor, also may help patients who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression that fails to respond to other treatments.

27 Apr 2012

Report: 5% of Americans have a serious mental illness

According to figures from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Sevices Administration, an estimated 11 million people have some type of mental illness.

27 Apr 2012

HMS researcher receives $130,000 to conduct epilepsy study

A researcher from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School is receiving $130,000 to conduct further research on memory dysfunction in epilepsy patients through the Susan S. Spencer Clinical Research Training Fellowship.

27 Apr 2012

Researchers discover how adult brain can adapt to new situations

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, this is not always true. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have now discovered how the adult brain can adapt to new situations. The Dutch researchers' findings are published on Wednesday in the prestigious journal Neuron. Their study may be significant in the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia.

27 Apr 2012

Researchers examines whether MRI can improve accuracy of Huntington’s diagnosis

Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a defect on chromosome four where, within the Huntingtin gene, a CAG repeat occurs too many times. Most individuals begin experiencing symptoms in their 40s or 50s, but studies have shown that significant brain atrophy occurs several years prior to an official HD diagnosis. As a result, the field has sought a preventive treatment that could be administered prior to the development of actual symptoms that might delay the onset of illness.

27 Apr 2012

UCSF researcher to study risk factors and consequences of stroke

A San Francisco researcher is receiving $130,000 for her research studying risk factors and consequences of stroke among different racial/ethnic groups through the AHA/ASA/ABF Lawrence M. Brass, MD, Stroke Research Postdoctoral Fellowship from the American Brain Foundation,(formerly the American Academy of Neurology Foundation), the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.

27 Apr 2012

Change in attitude may ease chronic pain by aiding sleep: Study

Chronic pain sufferers who learn to dwell less on their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain, according to results of research conducted on 214 people with chronic face and jaw pain.

26 Apr 2012

Experimental drug for autism works effectively in laboratory mice: Study

A new experimental drug has shown promise in autism symptoms in mice. Researchers from the National Institutes of Mental Health and Pfizer reported Wednesday that an experimental compound, called GRN-529, increased social interactions and lessened repetitive self-grooming behavior in a strain of mice bred to display autism-like behaviors.

26 Apr 2012

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies secures funding for development and testing of innovative neurotechnology

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies Secures Over $4.5 Million in Funding to Fuel New Product Development for Parkinson's Disease and Neuroscience Education April 24, 2012: Valley View, OH - Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies announced today they have secured over $4.5 million is funding for new product development. The funding includes three new projects sponsored by the National Institutes of Health's SBIR program. Each project is focused on developing and testing innovative neurotechnology. Two projects focus on the monitoring and treatment of Parkinson's disease while another will develop a wireless physiological monitor and web-based teaching system for high school neuroscience courses.

26 Apr 2012

Iowa House approves mental health reforms

The bill would replace the county-by-county system in Iowa. Also in state legislative news, N.H. gubernatorial candidate opposes health care compact proposal and California lawmaker seeks cap on consumers' prescription drug expenses.

26 Apr 2012

Researchers identify new components of genetic pathway that controls neural stem cells

Can one feel too attached? Does one need to let go to mature? Neural stem cells have this problem, too. As immature cells, neural stem cells must stick together in a protected environment called a niche in order to divide so they can make all of the cells that populate the nervous system. But when it's time to mature, or differentiate, the neural stem cells must stop dividing, detach from their neighbors and migrate to where they are needed to form the circuits necessary for humans to think, feel and interact with the world.

26 Apr 2012

State roundup: Calif. exchanges forge ahead; Mo. grappling with costs, quality

Despite a potentially disruptive U.S. Supreme Court Decision expected this summer, California officials are moving forward with the creation of a new, online health insurance market. ... "There are many different scenarios," said David Panush, director of government relations for the California Health Benefit Exchange. "Rather than trying to crystal-ball what the court may or may not do, we've got our foot on the pedal and we're going full speed ahead."

26 Apr 2012

First-ever study to evaluate effects of interaction between metamphetamines and Ibudilast

John W. Tsuang, M.D., principal investigator at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), in conjunction with Steven J. Shoptaw, Ph.D., from the UCLA Department of Family Medicine, is spearheading a Phase I clinical safety trial that for the first time examines the effects of Ibudilast when administered with metamphetamine (MA), an addictive stimulant that is closely related to amphetamine.

26 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Fixes to Medicare should improve seniors' access to care; Lifestyle changes could help fix budget

Medicare, which according to a new assessment will go bankrupt by 2024, is in dire need of reform. But there are right ways and wrong ways to go about it. The right reform would save money while giving seniors better access to care. ... The hard truth is that that's impossible. Both Republicans and Democrats recognize the need for change. Unfortunately, their proposals have come up short.

26 Apr 2012

New SAMHSA report on mental health statistics

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today released Mental Health, United States, 2010, the latest in a series of publications issued biannually by SAMHSA since 1980. This new report includes mental health statistics at the National and State levels from 35 different data sources.

26 Apr 2012

NYU Langone expands MS Comprehensive Care Center

NYU Langone's Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Comprehensive Care Center recently opened the doors to a new clinical practice - the first to occupy NYU Langone Medical Center's new, nearly 300,000-square-foot Ambulatory Care Center located at 240 East 38th Street at Second Avenue in Manhattan.

26 Apr 2012

Body’s own DNA can cause inflammation in the heart

DNA from the heart's own cells plays a role in heart failure by mistakenly activating the body's immune system, according to a study by British and Japanese researchers, co-funded by the British Heart Foundation.

26 Apr 2012