Psychiatry News and Research

RSS

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

Study: Growth hormone can improve social impairment in patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome

A growth hormone can significantly improve the social impairment associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in patients with a related genetic syndrome, according to a pilot study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published yesterday on Pub Med, a public database of biomedical topics maintained by the National Institutes of Health (study originally published in the December 12 issue of the journal Molecular Autism).

20 Feb 2015

International study shows potential new therapy to treat patients with neuropathic pain

An international study led by scientists at McGill University reports, for the first time, that drugs that selectively target the melatonin MT2 receptor represent a novel class of analgesic drugs that could be used to treat patients with neuropathic pain.

19 Feb 2015

Scientists map autism genetic pathway that regulates brain development

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that mutations that cause autism in children are connected to a pathway that regulates brain development. The research, led by Lilia Iakoucheva, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, is published in the February 18 issue of Neuron.

19 Feb 2015

Scientists identify role of tau-associated MAPT gene in development of Alzheimer's disease

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has identified the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene as increasing the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD).

18 Feb 2015

Organizational culture may increase use of evidence-based treatments for adolescents with psychiatric disorders

Many mental health therapists use treatments that have little evidence to support them. A new multi-institution study led by Penn Medicine has found that an organization's culture and climate are better predictors of the use of evidence-based practices than an individual therapist's characteristics in the treatment of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders.

18 Feb 2015

CAMH scientists discover potential new approach to treat multiple sclerosis

Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health have discovered a promising new approach to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). In a new study, they've identified a previously unknown change in the spinal cord related to MS, and a way to alter this change to reduce the nerve cell damage that occurs with the disease.

18 Feb 2015

Neuroscientist to discuss teenage brain development at AAAS meeting in California

Teenage exploration and risk taking could be explained by dramatic changes in the brain that allow elaborate planning and are driven by the need for immediate reward, according to a University of Pittsburgh neuroscientist who will be talking about her research in a panel discussion and press briefing at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, Feb. 13 to 16, in San Jose, Calif.

17 Feb 2015

Research: 14% of cerebral palsy cases are linked to genetic mutation

An international research group led by a team at the University of Adelaide has made what they believe could be the biggest discovery into cerebral palsy in 20 years.

17 Feb 2015

Unemployment linked with around 45 000 deaths by suicide every year

These striking findings suggest that suicide prevention strategies need to target the negative health effects of unemployment in times of economic stability as well as during recession.

16 Feb 2015

Experts question value of current obesity treatments

Many people with obesity can lose weight for a few months, but 80%–95% regain their lost weight eventually. One explanation for this limited long-term success is that reducing caloric intake triggers several biological systems that drive us to eat high-calorie foods and gain weight.

16 Feb 2015

Harmless plant extract can help treat Cushing Disease

Cushing Disease, not to be confused with Cushing's Syndrome, is caused by a tumour in the pituitary gland in the brain. The tumour secrets increased amounts of the stress hormone adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) followed by cortisol release from the adrenal glands leading to rapid weight gain, elevated blood pressure and muscular weakness.

16 Feb 2015

Short-term cognitive behavioral therapy reduces suicide attempts among at-risk soldiers

Short-term cognitive behavioral therapy dramatically reduces suicide attempts among at-risk military personnel, according to findings from a research study that included investigators from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

16 Feb 2015

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

X-linked intellectual disability is a disorder that predominantly affects men and can have highly variable clinical manifestations. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have found seven new genes that can cause this genetic disease: Mutations of these genes on the X chromosome lead to various forms of intellectual disability.

15 Feb 2015

New Penn Medicine study reveals how sleep deprivation increases intake of fat

Experts have warned for years that insufficient sleep can lead to weight gain. A new Penn Medicine study found that not only do we consume more food following a night of total sleep deprivation, but we also we consume more fat and less carbohydrates and a region of the brain known as the salience network is what may lead us to eat more fat.

15 Feb 2015

Background noise in the brain shapes neuron growth

A process previously thought to be mere background noise in the brain has been found to shape the growth of neurons as the brain develops, according to research from the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (MRC CDN), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), published in Cell Reports.

13 Feb 2015

Adolescents meth abusers suffer greater alterations in their brain than adult drug abusers

Adolescents who chronically use methamphetamine suffer greater and more widespread alterations in their brain than adults who chronically abuse the drug-and damage is particularly evident in a part of the brain believed to control the "executive function," researchers from the University of Utah and South Korea report.

13 Feb 2015

Experts question use of hospital quality measures in CMS’ pay-for-performance programs

A new editorial published in JAMA by Northwestern Medicine® experts strongly questions the use of several hospital quality measures by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in its pay-for-performance programs.

12 Feb 2015

Sanford Health wins LocumTenens.com's Best Places to Practice Locum Tenens contest

Sanford Health, the nation's largest rural, not-for-profit healthcare system, has been named the winner of LocumTenens.com's Best Places to Practice Locum Tenens contest.

12 Feb 2015

Extremely low birth weight babies at increased risk for psychiatric disorders

The good news is that people born as extremely low birth weight babies are less likely than others to have alcohol or substance use disorders as adults. The less encouraging news is that they may have a higher risk of other types of psychiatric problems.

9 Feb 2015

New study sheds light on anorexia nervosa

A study led by Howard Steiger, PhD, head of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Eating Disorders Program, in Montreal, in collaboration with Linda Booij, a researcher with Sainte-Justine Hospital and an assistant professor at Queen's University, is the first to observe effects suggesting that the longer one suffers from active anorexia nervosa (AN), the more likely they are to show disorder-relevant alterations in DNA methylation.

9 Feb 2015

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Study: Growth hormone can improve social impairment in patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome

International study shows potential new therapy to treat patients with neuropathic pain

Scientists map autism genetic pathway that regulates brain development

Scientists identify role of tau-associated MAPT gene in development of Alzheimer's disease

Organizational culture may increase use of evidence-based treatments for adolescents with psychiatric disorders

CAMH scientists discover potential new approach to treat multiple sclerosis

Neuroscientist to discuss teenage brain development at AAAS meeting in California

Research: 14% of cerebral palsy cases are linked to genetic mutation

Unemployment linked with around 45 000 deaths by suicide every year

Experts question value of current obesity treatments

Harmless plant extract can help treat Cushing Disease

Short-term cognitive behavioral therapy reduces suicide attempts among at-risk soldiers

Scientists find seven new genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability

New Penn Medicine study reveals how sleep deprivation increases intake of fat

Background noise in the brain shapes neuron growth

Adolescents meth abusers suffer greater alterations in their brain than adult drug abusers

Experts question use of hospital quality measures in CMS’ pay-for-performance programs

Sanford Health wins LocumTenens.com's Best Places to Practice Locum Tenens contest

Extremely low birth weight babies at increased risk for psychiatric disorders

New study sheds light on anorexia nervosa

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Latest News