Psychiatry News and Research

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Psychiatry is the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorders.

Misuse of Adderall drug rising among young adults, research suggests

While the number of prescriptions for the stimulant Adderall has remained unchanged among young adults, misuse and emergency room visits related to the drug have risen dramatically in this group, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

17 Feb 2016

Study shows bullied preemies more likely to develop mental health problems as adults

Babies born at an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) are miracles, but they are more likely to be bullied as children, and this can significantly increase their risk for mental health problems as adults.

17 Feb 2016

Researchers report first-ever link between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression

The team of Bruno Giros, a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and professor of psychiatry at McGill University, reports the first-ever connection between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression. Published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, this breakthrough paves the way for new depression treatments that target the adrenergic system.

15 Feb 2016

Immersive virtual reality therapy could help reduce depressive symptoms

An immersive virtual reality therapy could help people with depression to be less critical and more compassionate towards themselves, reducing depressive symptoms, finds a new study from UCL (University College London) and ICREA-University of Barcelona.

15 Feb 2016

Marijuana use among U.S. adults not as high as predicted before

Marijuana use is on the rise, with an estimated 12.5 percent of adults living in the United States reportedly using the drug at least once in 2013, according to a new study that looked at drug usage over the span of a decade.

12 Feb 2016

Study confirms no detectable difference when switching between generics

While approved generics are required to be equivalent to their brand-named counterparts in terms of active ingredients, some may wonder if a switch between generics could cause problems for someone who relies on daily medication to control a severe, chronic condition, like seizures.

12 Feb 2016

Modulation of opioid system may improve effectiveness of drugs for treatment-resistant depression

A clinical trial of an experimental drug for treatment-resistant major depression finds that modulation of the endogenous opioid system may improve the effectiveness of drugs that target the action of serotonin and related monoamine neurotransmitters.

12 Feb 2016

TAU research highlights neuroprotective potential of protein-protectant drug candidate SKIP

Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), essential for brain formation, is frequently mutated in children on the autism spectrum. In older men and women, ADNP expression in the blood is correlated with cognition and further altered in Alzheimer's disease.

11 Feb 2016

Review of EAS cases among patients with psychiatric conditions in the Netherlands

A review of euthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS) cases among patients with psychiatric disorders in the Netherlands found that most had chronic, severe conditions, with histories of attempted suicides and hospitalizations, and were described as socially isolated or lonely, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.

11 Feb 2016

Penn investigators explore new treatment option for cocaine dependence

In the ongoing fight against drug addiction, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine have discovered a unique application for an FDA-approved drug currently used for obese patients and type 2 diabetics: treatment for cocaine dependence.

11 Feb 2016

Computerized cognitive rehabilitation can improve outcomes in brain injury survivors

For the first time, researchers have shown that computerized cognitive rehabilitation (a program to help brain-injured or otherwise cognitively impaired individuals to restore normal functioning) can improve attention and executive functioning in brain injury survivors including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke.

11 Feb 2016

Pregnancy may reduce PTSD symptoms in at-risk women

For most women, expecting a baby brings intense joy --and a fair amount of worry. But what about women who have lived through something awful enough to cause post-traumatic stress disorder? Contrary to what researchers expected, a new study shows that pregnancy may actually reduce their PTSD symptoms. Or at the least, it won't cause a flare-up.

11 Feb 2016

Five researchers named winners of 2016 Elsevier Foundation Awards

Five researchers have been named winners of the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World, in recognition of research that has strong potential health and economic benefits.

10 Feb 2016

Study shows how structural differences in the brain may relate to behavior differences in males and females

Differences in the neural wiring across development of men and women across ages, matched behavioral differences commonly associated with each of the sexes, according to an imaging-based study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published February 1 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

10 Feb 2016

Yale study examines sex-related social differences in infants at risk for autism

Infant girls at risk for autism pay more attention to social cues in faces than infant boys, according to a Yale School of Medicine study -- the first one known to prospectively examine sex-related social differences in at-risk infants.

10 Feb 2016

Novel non-invasive method of vagus nerve stimulation reduces depressive symptoms

Researchers of a new study published in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry report successful reduction of depressive symptoms in patients using a novel non-invasive method of vagus nerve stimulation, or VNS.

5 Feb 2016

Study provides window into the brain changes that link mindfulness meditation with health-related benefits

Over the past decade, mindfulness meditation has been shown to improve a broad range of health and disease outcomes, such as slowing HIV progression and improving healthy aging. Yet, little is known about the brain changes that produce these beneficial health effects.

5 Feb 2016

Molecular imaging and radiochemistry: the importance of instrumentation. An interview with Professor Björn Wängler

Interview conducted with Professor Björn Wängler, Professor for Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry from Heidelberg University.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 4 Feb 2016

Study reveals fetal origin for social and repetitive behavior deficits

Fetal development has been known to play an important role in social interaction, a fundamental behavior found in nearly all organisms, and later adult social behaviors. Autism, a highly heritable neurodevelopment disorder that causes difficulties with social interactions, has been postulated to be caused by neuron overgrowth in the prenatal period, although the precise timing and cause of this overgrowth has been unknown.

3 Feb 2016

Study finds no evidence of genetic overlap between schizophrenia risk and subcortical brain volumes

Over the last decade, important contributions to our understanding of schizophrenia have come from two different types of studies. Neuroimaging studies have found that certain parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus and amygdala, are smaller in people with schizophrenia - a devastating psychiatric illness with high heritability.

3 Feb 2016

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Misuse of Adderall drug rising among young adults, research suggests

Study shows bullied preemies more likely to develop mental health problems as adults

Researchers report first-ever link between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression

Immersive virtual reality therapy could help reduce depressive symptoms

Marijuana use among U.S. adults not as high as predicted before

Study confirms no detectable difference when switching between generics

Modulation of opioid system may improve effectiveness of drugs for treatment-resistant depression

TAU research highlights neuroprotective potential of protein-protectant drug candidate SKIP

Review of EAS cases among patients with psychiatric conditions in the Netherlands

Penn investigators explore new treatment option for cocaine dependence

Computerized cognitive rehabilitation can improve outcomes in brain injury survivors

Pregnancy may reduce PTSD symptoms in at-risk women

Five researchers named winners of 2016 Elsevier Foundation Awards

Study shows how structural differences in the brain may relate to behavior differences in males and females

Yale study examines sex-related social differences in infants at risk for autism

Novel non-invasive method of vagus nerve stimulation reduces depressive symptoms

Study provides window into the brain changes that link mindfulness meditation with health-related benefits

Molecular imaging and radiochemistry: the importance of instrumentation. An interview with Professor Björn Wängler

Study reveals fetal origin for social and repetitive behavior deficits

Study finds no evidence of genetic overlap between schizophrenia risk and subcortical brain volumes

Exploring the G:Box and for high-quality imaging

Shaping the Future of Neuroscience: A Conversation with Atlas Antibodies on the MolBoolean™ and the Impact of SfN 2024

How the Arts Reshape Brain Function: Susan Magsamen on the Future of Neuroaesthetics

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