Psychiatry News and Research

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

Further boost for copy number variant role in schizophrenia

A large study confirms that 11 previously identified copy number variants are likely associated with schizophrenia.

20 Dec 2013

Coupling meditation-like practices with drug and behavior therapies more helpful in tackling addiction

Using a computational model of addiction, a literature review and an in silico experiment, theoretical computer scientist Yariv Levy and colleagues suggest in a new paper this week that rehabilitation strategies coupling meditation-like practices with drug and behavior therapies are more helpful than drug-plus-talk therapy alone when helping people overcome addiction.

20 Dec 2013

Most dementia people living at home have multiple unmet health and welfare needs

Most people with dementia who live at home have multiple unmet health and welfare needs, any number of which could jeopardize their ability to remain home for as long as they desire, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

20 Dec 2013

Shared genetic risk for bipolar disorder and BMI

Researchers have found a positive association in the heritability of bipolar disorder and body mass index, supporting the theory that there is some interaction in the genetic mechanisms underlying these two traits.

19 Dec 2013

Head injuries increase risk for psychiatric disorders

A Danish study of a large cohort of individuals who presented at hospital with head injuries has found that they were at increased risk for later developing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and organic mental disorders.

19 Dec 2013

Poor people, minorities appear to suffer from sleep problems, chronic disease

Poor people and minorities appear to disproportionately suffer from problems with sleep and chronic disease, but the two do not appear to be directly linked, finds a new study in Ethnicity & Disease.

19 Dec 2013

New study aims to identify breast cancer patients most susceptible to post-treatment fatigue

Although the prevalence and impact of cancer-related fatigue has been well established, very little is known about its predictors, mechanisms for development, and persistence post-treatment. A new research study at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, in partnership with UCLA, is aimed at identifying breast cancer patients most susceptible to post-treatment fatigue by measuring biological, behavioral and social risk factors.

19 Dec 2013

Study reveals why people are predisposed to cardiovascular disease and death

A genetic trait known to make some people especially sensitive to stress also appears to be responsible for a 38 percent increased risk of heart attack or death in patients with heart disease, scientists at Duke Medicine report.

19 Dec 2013

People with intermittent explosive disorder elevate levels of markers of systemic inflammation in blood

People with intermittent explosive disorder — a psychiatric illness characterized by impulsivity, hostility and recurrent aggressive outbursts — have elevated levels of two markers of systemic inflammation in their blood, according to a study involving nearly 200 subjects.

19 Dec 2013

With no place to puff, smokers are more likely to cut back or quit, say researchers

Completely banning tobacco use inside the home - or more broadly in the whole city - measurably boosts the odds of smokers either cutting back or quitting entirely, report University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers in the current online issue of Preventive Medicine.

18 Dec 2013

Studies suggest that stress-related disorders may be associated with hippocampal volume loss

Depression has been associated with reduced volume of the hippocampus in magnetic resonance imaging studies in humans. A new study just published in Biological Psychiatry now clarifies the cellular basis of these volumetric changes, which have been unclear until now.

18 Dec 2013

DCC gene involved in adolescent brain development may play a role in mental health vulnerability

As many parents of mentally ill adults will confirm anecdotally, the first symptoms of "something not quite right" with their children begin to appear during the teen years. It is known that during this teenaged phase of brain development, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression and drug addiction.

17 Dec 2013

UCSD launches WorkLife Integration Program to help employees reduce stress, increase focus

The UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness has launched a WorkLife Integration Program for companies that would like to help their employees reduce stress, increase focus and improve productivity.

17 Dec 2013

Diabetes blamed for brain neurochemical abnormalities in bipolar disorder

Diabetes may underlie some of the neurochemical abnormalities observed in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder, say researchers.

17 Dec 2013

Rich club disconnectivity may be ‘core’ schizophrenia feature

The impaired “rich club” connectivity observed in the brains of patients with schizophrenia is also present in their unaffected siblings, report researchers.

17 Dec 2013

Researchers discover direct evidence of genetic overlap between cognitive ability and schizophrenia

Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered for the first time, direct evidence of a genetic overlap between schizophrenia and general cognitive ability. The findings are published online in Molecular Psychiatry.

17 Dec 2013

Glioblastoma multiforme patients treated with experimental vaccine show improved survival

Patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme treated with an experimental vaccine made from the patient's own resected tumor tissue showed an improved survival compared with historical patients who received the standard of care alone, according to an analysis of a phase 2 trial of this vaccine that was recently published in the journal Neuro-Oncology and accompanied by an editorial highlighting the importance of the trial.

16 Dec 2013

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Further boost for copy number variant role in schizophrenia

Coupling meditation-like practices with drug and behavior therapies more helpful in tackling addiction

Most dementia people living at home have multiple unmet health and welfare needs

Shared genetic risk for bipolar disorder and BMI

Head injuries increase risk for psychiatric disorders

Poor people, minorities appear to suffer from sleep problems, chronic disease

New study aims to identify breast cancer patients most susceptible to post-treatment fatigue

Study reveals why people are predisposed to cardiovascular disease and death

People with intermittent explosive disorder elevate levels of markers of systemic inflammation in blood

With no place to puff, smokers are more likely to cut back or quit, say researchers

Studies suggest that stress-related disorders may be associated with hippocampal volume loss

DCC gene involved in adolescent brain development may play a role in mental health vulnerability

UCSD launches WorkLife Integration Program to help employees reduce stress, increase focus

Diabetes blamed for brain neurochemical abnormalities in bipolar disorder

Rich club disconnectivity may be ‘core’ schizophrenia feature

Researchers discover direct evidence of genetic overlap between cognitive ability and schizophrenia

Glioblastoma multiforme patients treated with experimental vaccine show improved survival

Drug abuse appears to foster brain changes that resemble schizophrenia

Quitting cannabis improves psychosis treatment adherence

Bipolar disorder patients hold contradictory self-associations

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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