Psychiatry News and Research

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

Douglas Mental Health University Institute researcher wins 2014 Wilder-Penfield prize

The Douglas Mental Health University Institute is proud to announce that its researcher and neurobiologist, Michael Meaney, C.M., Ph.D., C.Q., FRSC, is the 2014 laureate of the prestigious prix Wilder-Penfield.

4 Nov 2014

Transition Therapeutics presents Phase 2 study of ELND005 drug for bipolar disorder

Transition Therapeutics Inc. ("Transition" or the "Company") today announced findings from a Phase 2 study of neuropsychiatric drug candidate, ELND005, as an adjunctive maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder type I patients (BPD).

4 Nov 2014

Researchers to develop new tests to evaluate cognitive growth in people with intellectual disability

Leading researchers, funded through a new, five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, are collaborating to develop and evaluate tests designed to measure and track changes in the cognitive functioning of people who typically are difficult to assess accurately: those with an intellectual disability, formerly termed mental retardation.

3 Nov 2014

Accumulated environmental risks have substantial impact on schizophrenia

Accumulation of environmental risk factors has a “huge” effect on age at schizophrenia onset, German researchers report.

31 Oct 2014

Study identifies new targets for developing novel treatment for alcohol dependence

Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract fulfill many vital functions and are critical for digestion. Yet, these same bacteria can induce strong inflammatory responses by the immune system if they penetrate the gut and enter the bloodstream.

31 Oct 2014

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Two major genetic studies of autism, led in part by UC San Francisco scientists and involving more than 50 laboratories worldwide, have newly implicated dozens of genes in the disorder. The research shows that rare mutations in these genes affect communication networks in the brain and compromise fundamental biological mechanisms that govern whether, when, and how genes are activated overall.

31 Oct 2014

Scratching itchy skin causes the brain to release serotonin, intensifies itchy feeling

Turns out your mom was right: Scratching an itch only makes it worse. New research from scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that scratching causes the brain to release serotonin, which intensifies the itch sensation.

31 Oct 2014

Study: Even mild depressive symptoms can weaken outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery

Even mild depressive symptoms can weaken the outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery, according to a recent study completed at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. Patients with depressive symptoms had a weaker functional capacity post-surgery even five years after surgery.

31 Oct 2014

Physical health management below par in schizophrenia patients

The diagnosis and treatment of physical ailments in patients with schizophrenia falls below acceptable standards, shows a national audit of patients in England and Wales.

30 Oct 2014

Neurocrine Biosciences' NBI-98854 drug gets breakthrough designation for tardive dyskinesia

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for its Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 inhibitor, NBI-98854, in tardive dyskinesia.

30 Oct 2014

New blood test could predict early onset Alzheimer’s disease with high accuracy

The research team previously identified that changes in the brain occur two decades before patients show signs of dementia. These changes can be detected through expensive brain imaging procedures.

30 Oct 2014

'Mentor Mothers' program improves perinatal health outcomes in South Africa

The incidence of HIV infection in South Africa tops that of any nation in the world, with some 6 million of the country's nearly 50 million residents infected. Sadly, young women — and particularly young pregnant women — suffer some of the highest rates of HIV infection. More than one-fourth of pregnant South African women are infected with the virus; in some communities, the infection rates are even higher.

30 Oct 2014

Ghrelin has potential to stimulate alcohol craving, study reveals

Ghrelin is a hormone released by the stomach and it stimulates appetite and food intake. Alcohol is commonly viewed as a psychoactive substance that primarily affects brain function, but it is also a highly caloric food.

30 Oct 2014

Biology influences political ideology, find Virginia Tech scientists

Maggot infestations, rotting carcasses, unidentifiable gunk in the kitchen sink – how much your brain responds to disgusting images could predict whether you are liberal or conservative.

30 Oct 2014

UCSD researchers validate EEG test to study, treat schizophrenia

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have validated an EEG test to study and treat schizophrenia. The findings, published in two separate studies, offer a clinical test that could be used to help diagnose persons at risk for developing mental illness later in life, as well as an approach for measuring the efficacies of different treatment options.

29 Oct 2014

Genetic differences contribute to risk for autism

Small differences in as many as a thousand genes contribute to risk for autism, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and the Autism Sequencing Consortium, and published today in the journal Nature.

29 Oct 2014

Researchers find potential target for therapies to treat cocaine addiction

A study led by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has identified a potential target for therapies to treat cocaine addiction.

29 Oct 2014

Dietary cocoa flavanols can reverse age-related memory decline in healthy older adults

Dietary cocoa flavanols—naturally occurring bioactives found in cocoa—reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults, according to a study led by Columbia University Medical Center scientists.

27 Oct 2014

Sleep problems very common among young children receiving treatment for psychiatric disorders

John Boekamp, Ph.D., clinical director of the Pediatric Partial Hospital Program at Bradley Hospital recently led a study that found sleep difficulties - particularly problems with falling asleep - were very common among toddlers and preschool-aged children who were receiving clinical treatment for a wide range of psychiatric disorders.

27 Oct 2014

Early brain imaging studies may help prevent vascular diseases

Future prevention and treatment strategies for vascular diseases may lie in the evaluation of early brain imaging tests long before heart attacks or strokes occur, according to a systematic review conducted by a team of cardiologists, neuroscientists, and psychiatrists from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the October issue of JACC Cardiovascular Imaging.

27 Oct 2014

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Douglas Mental Health University Institute researcher wins 2014 Wilder-Penfield prize

Transition Therapeutics presents Phase 2 study of ELND005 drug for bipolar disorder

Researchers to develop new tests to evaluate cognitive growth in people with intellectual disability

Accumulated environmental risks have substantial impact on schizophrenia

Study identifies new targets for developing novel treatment for alcohol dependence

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Scratching itchy skin causes the brain to release serotonin, intensifies itchy feeling

Study: Even mild depressive symptoms can weaken outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery

Physical health management below par in schizophrenia patients

Neurocrine Biosciences' NBI-98854 drug gets breakthrough designation for tardive dyskinesia

New blood test could predict early onset Alzheimer’s disease with high accuracy

'Mentor Mothers' program improves perinatal health outcomes in South Africa

Ghrelin has potential to stimulate alcohol craving, study reveals

Biology influences political ideology, find Virginia Tech scientists

UCSD researchers validate EEG test to study, treat schizophrenia

Genetic differences contribute to risk for autism

Researchers find potential target for therapies to treat cocaine addiction

Dietary cocoa flavanols can reverse age-related memory decline in healthy older adults

Sleep problems very common among young children receiving treatment for psychiatric disorders

Early brain imaging studies may help prevent vascular diseases

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