Psychiatry News and Research

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

Forward genetics used to identify gene linked to autism spectrum disorder

UT Southwestern scientists have adapted a classic research technique called forward genetics to identify new genes involved in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

23 Dec 2020

Many lighter smokers can be addicted to cigarettes

Even people who consider themselves to be casual cigarette smokers may be addicted, according to current diagnostic criteria.

23 Dec 2020

Truncating mutation locations tied to diversity, severity of autism symptoms

One of the most recognizable characteristics of autism is an amazing diversity of associated behavioral symptoms. Clinicians view autism as a broad spectrum of related disorders, and the origin of the disease's heterogeneity has puzzled scientists, doctors, and affected families for decades.

22 Dec 2020

Study finds a distinct shift in method of nurse suicides

In a new study, University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health researchers report that the rate of firearm use by female nurses who die by suicide increased between 2014 to 2017.

22 Dec 2020

Study could help prevent HIV/AIDS and pregnancy among South African adolescent girls

An important new finding by University of Cincinnati researchers could help slow the transmission of HIV/AIDS and reduce pregnancies among adolescent girls in rural South Africa.

22 Dec 2020

Stem cell engineering used to identify gene signaling pathway linked to schizophrenia

Using human-induced pluripotent stem cells engineered from a single family's blood samples, a gene signaling pathway linked to a higher risk for developing schizophrenia was discovered by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

21 Dec 2020

Brain tissue analysis may help explain enduring mysteries about PTSD

A post-mortem analysis of brain tissue from people who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may help explain enduring mysteries about the disorder, such as why women are more susceptible to it and whether a dampened immune system response plays a role in dealing with stress, a team headed by Yale University researchers has found.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers use a video game to identify and evaluate the degree of ADHD

Adapting a traditional endless runner video game and using a raccoon as the protagonist, researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM, in its Spanish acronym), among other institutions, have developed a platform that allows the identification and evaluation of the degree of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents.

21 Dec 2020

Scientists create COVID-19 guidebooks based on wisdom from patients, caregivers

No one likes to venture into a new city or country without a map or guidebook. But that's what having COVID-19 has felt like to people with the disease - and to the family and friends who are caring for them throughout their journey.

21 Dec 2020

UVA researcher evaluates a new approach to managing type 2 diabetes

A researcher at the University of Virginia School of Medicine is testing what he calls a "radically different" approach to managing type 2 diabetes for those who can't or don't want to lose weight.

18 Dec 2020

Newly discovered brain pattern could improve the diagnosis of mental health disorders

A pattern in how the brain breaks down tryptophan, a common amino acid consumed through food, was discovered by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

18 Dec 2020

Healthcare workers can develop severe mental health problems after COVID-19

Researchers at the University of Ottawa have found the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have particularly impacted healthcare professionals and their sleep, putting these frontline workers at risk of severe future mental health problems.

17 Dec 2020

Studies provide clues about possible types of autism linked to brain structure

Two groundbreaking studies at the UC Davis MIND Institute provide clues about possible types of autism linked to brain structure, including size and white matter growth.

17 Dec 2020

4E-BP proteins are key to unlock the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain

A group of proteins called 4E-BPs, involved in memory formation, is the key to unlocking the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain, according to researchers from three Canadian universities. The discovery could lead to better and safer treatments for certain patients suffering from major depression.

17 Dec 2020

People with ADHD tendencies are more sensitive to insomnia, severe functional impairments

Individuals with high ADHD-traits that do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis are less able to perform tasks involving attentional regulation or emotional control after a sleepless night than individuals with low ADHD-traits, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging reports.

17 Dec 2020

Brain protein indicates a link between circadian rhythm dysfunction and Alzheimer's Disease

Fractured sleep, daytime sleepiness and other signs of disturbance in one's circadian rhythm are common complaints of people with Alzheimer's disease, and the problems only get worse as the disease progresses.

17 Dec 2020

Phase 2 clinical trial at UCR to test first-in-class drug for treatment of stuttering

The School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, will serve as lead site for a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating ecopipam, an investigational first-in-class drug being tested for the treatment of stuttering in adults and Tourette syndrome in pediatric patients.

15 Dec 2020

Smart ring can be reliably used to detect the onset of fevers

Temperature data collected by wearable devices worn on the finger can be reliably used to detect the onset of fevers, a leading symptom of both COVID-19 and the flu, according to a team of researchers from the University of California San Diego, UC San Francisco and MIT Lincoln Lab.

14 Dec 2020

Landmark heart study reveals new insights about risk factors for depression

Recently published UT Southwestern research reveals new insights about risk factors for depression based on data from a landmark longitudinal study focused on heart disease.

14 Dec 2020

Expansion of telepsychiatry may outlast the COVID-19 pandemic

Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, a lot of things will go back to normal. We'll stop wearing masks. We'll crowd into restaurants. We'll walk whatever direction we want to down grocery store aisles. But some changes that the pandemic spurred might be here to stay. Among them: the expansion of telepsychiatry.

11 Dec 2020