Psychiatry News and Research

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

Attention modification programs help decrease overeating in obese children

Among the multiple factors that can cause obesity is an abnormal neurocognitive or behavioral response to food cues. The brain becomes wired to seek - and expect - greater rewards from food, which leads to unhealthful overeating.

15 Feb 2014

Heritable bipolar phenotypes pinned down

A large study has pinpointed brain and behavioural traits that are genetically influenced and associated with bipolar I disorder.

14 Feb 2014

‘Healthy living’ programme fails to lower BMI in overweight psychosis patients

A “healthy living” intervention focused on exercise and diet has failed to impact body mass index in overweight people with psychosis when evaluated in the setting of a randomised controlled trial.

14 Feb 2014

Topiramate reduces drinking in patients committed to abstinence from alcohol

Heavy drinking alcohol consumption is common in the United States and takes a personal and societal toll, with an annual estimated cost of $223.5 billion due to losses in workplace productivity, and health care and criminal justice expenses.

14 Feb 2014

FDA-approved drug pregabalin effectively treats RLS symptoms with less side effects

A report in the Feb. 13 New England Journal of Medicine confirms previous studies suggesting that long-term treatment with the type of drugs commonly prescribed to treat restless leg syndrome (RLS) can cause a serious worsening of the condition in some patients.

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

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

Scientists take steps to identify genetic component to bipolar disorder

Scientists know there is a strong genetic component to bipolar disorder, but they have had an extremely difficult time identifying the genes that cause it. So, in an effort to better understand the illness's genetic causes, researchers at UCLA tried a new approach.

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

Urinary tract infections linked to acute psychosis relapse

Patients with an acute episode of psychosis have a high incidence of urinary tract infections, report researchers.

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

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

Being overweight may cause changes in brain that is crucial to appetite, emotions and memory

Being overweight appears related to reduced levels of a molecule that reflects brain cell health in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, learning, and emotions, and likely also involved in appetite control, according to a study performed by researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and other institutions.

12 Feb 2014

Cutting back on cigarette smoking linked to improved mental health outcomes

Health professionals who treat people with psychiatric problems often overlook their patients' smoking habits, assuming it's best to tackle depression, anxiety or substance abuse problems first.

12 Feb 2014

Jazz Pharmaceuticals' Versacloz now commercially available in the U.S. for schizophrenia

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc today announced U.S. commercial availability of Versacloz (clozapine, USP) oral suspension, the first and only oral suspension clozapine for severely ill treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients or those at risk of recurrent suicidal behavior with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

11 Feb 2014

Scientists identify gene linking thickness of grey matter in brain to intelligence

For the first time, scientists at King's College London have identified a gene linking the thickness of the grey matter in the brain to intelligence. The study is published today in Molecular Psychiatry and may help scientists understand biological mechanisms behind some forms of intellectual impairment.

11 Feb 2014

MIND program may enable older people with dementia to stay safely in their homes

An 18-month pilot program that brought resources and counselors to elderly Baltimore residents with dementia and other memory disorders significantly increased the length of time they lived successfully at home, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.

11 Feb 2014

Researchers examine link between gender and genetic disorder

A genetic disorder that affects about 1 in every 2,500 births can cause a bewildering array of clinical problems, including brain tumors, impaired vision, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, heart defects and bone deformities. The symptoms and their severity vary among patients affected by this condition, known as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).

9 Feb 2014

Falling in love causes body to release feel-good chemicals that trigger specific physical reactions

Getting struck by Cupid's arrow may very well take your breath away and make your heart go pitter-patter this Valentine's Day, reports sexual wellness specialists at Loyola University Health System.

7 Feb 2014

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Attention modification programs help decrease overeating in obese children

Heritable bipolar phenotypes pinned down

‘Healthy living’ programme fails to lower BMI in overweight psychosis patients

Topiramate reduces drinking in patients committed to abstinence from alcohol

FDA-approved drug pregabalin effectively treats RLS symptoms with less side effects

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

Common mutations produce typical schizophrenia brain changes

Scientists take steps to identify genetic component to bipolar disorder

Researchers identify effective target for human autoimmune disease

Urinary tract infections linked to acute psychosis relapse

Adolescents with psychiatric problems more likely to suffer chronic pain

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

Researchers investigate sex differences in brain structure

Being overweight may cause changes in brain that is crucial to appetite, emotions and memory

Cutting back on cigarette smoking linked to improved mental health outcomes

Jazz Pharmaceuticals' Versacloz now commercially available in the U.S. for schizophrenia

Scientists identify gene linking thickness of grey matter in brain to intelligence

MIND program may enable older people with dementia to stay safely in their homes

Researchers examine link between gender and genetic disorder

Falling in love causes body to release feel-good chemicals that trigger specific physical reactions

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