All Articles Tagged As: mental disorders

Men More Likely to Have Problems with Memory and Thinking Skills (4/21/2008)

When it comes to remembering things, new research shows men are more likely than women to have mild cognitive impairment, the transition stage before dementia ...> Full Article

Recognising numbers (4/17/2008)

Research is looking at why some people find it difficult to understand mathematics and how this might be related to dyslexia ...> Full Article

Moderate consumption of fish can reduce the risk of suffering mental disorders by 30% (3/20/2008)

The habitual consumption of fish as a principle source of omega-3 fatty acids can offer protection against neuropsychiatric disorders, according to a study carried out at the University of Navarra, with the framework of the SUN Project (the University of Navarra Diet and Lifestyle Tracking Program). Specifically, the study revealed that persons who consume fish on at least a moderate basis reduce their risk of suffering these disorders by 30%. ...> Full Article

Tomorrow's Antidepressants: Skip the Serotonin Boost? (2/22/2008)

New research adds to evidence of potentially better molecular targets in the brain to treat depression and other mental disorders ...> Full Article

Severe Stressful Events Early In Pregnancy May Be Associated With Schizophrenia Among Offspring (2/9/2008)

Children of women who undergo an extremely stressful event-such as the death of a close relative-during the first trimester of pregnancy appear more likely to develop schizophrenia ...> Full Article

Poor recognition of 'self' found in high functioning people with autism (2/9/2008)

Contrary to popular notions, people at the high end of the autism spectrum disorder continuum suffer most from an inability to model "self" rather than impaired ability to respond to others, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appear in the journal Neuron. ...> Full Article

Chemical signature of manic depression discovered by scientists (2/6/2008)

People with manic depression have a distinct chemical signature in their brains ...> Full Article

Nature and Nurture are both to blame for depression (1/18/2008)

Depression is one of the most common forms of psychopathology. According to diathesisâ€"stress theories of depression, genetic liability interacts with negative life experiences to cause depression. Traditionally, most studies testing these theories have focused on only one component of the diathesisâ€"stress model: either genetics or environment, but not their interaction. However, because of recent advances in genetics and genomics, researchers have begun using a new design that allows them to test the interaction of genetic and environmental liabilities -- the G x E design. ...> Full Article

'Winter blues' may be serious depression (1/11/2008)

Symptoms diminish spontaneously in spring and summer ...> Full Article

Mood Disorders Predict Later Substance Abuse Problems (1/10/2008)

Mania symptoms and bipolar disorder II more likely to lead to substance abuse than depression ...> Full Article

Foreign Nativity May Not Always Protect Against Mental Disorders in the US (1/7/2008)

Though all Latino immigrants tend to display better overall mental health compared to their US-born counterparts, a recent study by NIMH-funded researchers has found that the protective benefits of foreign nativity vary widely across subgroups of this population. Factors such as neighborhood stability, perceived discrimination, and the strength of family bonds all combine to influence the prevalence of mental disorders across distinctive Latino ethnic groups. The finding reflects varying immigration and acculturation processes experienced by Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans and other Latino groups. Results of the study were published in the July 2007 issue of Social Science and Medicine. ...> Full Article

Behavioral Therapy Effectively Treats Children with Social Phobia (12/22/2007)

A behavioral therapy designed to treat children diagnosed with social phobia helped them overcome more of their symptoms than the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac), according to an NIMH-funded study published in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. ...> Full Article

Schizophrenia-Related Gene Linked to Imbalance in Dopamine Pathways (12/21/2007)

Forms of a gene known to increase risk for schizophrenia may create an imbalance in brain pathways for dopamine, suggests a recent study by NIMH scientists. The findings could help explain how this key chemical messenger goes awry in the disorder, which affects about one percent of adults. ...> Full Article

Researchers correct inherited retardation, autism in mice (12/20/2007)

Research points to potential drug treatment for humans ...> Full Article

Mental illness and drug addiction may co-occur due to disturbance in the brain's seat of anxiety and fear (12/9/2007)

Study finds rats with amygdalas damaged at birth showed abnormal adult behavior related to fear plus greater cocaine sensitivity ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover Possible Markers For Mental Illness (12/7/2007)

Researchers have discovered natural genetic differences that might help predict the most effective antipsychotic drugs for particular patients with mental disorders such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's and drug addiction. ...> Full Article

Newly-identified exercise gene could help with depression (12/4/2007)

Boosting an exercise-related gene in the brain works as a powerful anti-depressant in mice-a finding that could lead to a new anti-depressant drug target, according to a Yale School of Medicine report in Nature Medicine. ...> Full Article

New findings on prevalence of soft neurological signs (12/4/2007)

Prof. Raymond C.K. Chan, a neuropsychologist with the CAS Institute of Psychology, has made novel progress in his studies of schizophrenia. His recent work has been reported by a recent issue of Behavioural Neurology. ...> Full Article

Brain Patterns Of Former Anorexics Reveal Clues To Disorder's Lasting Impact (12/2/2007)

Even after more than a year of maintaining a normalized body weight, young women who recovered from anorexia nervosa show vastly different patterns of brain activity compared to similar women without the eating disorder, Walter H. Kaye, M.D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues report in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. ...> Full Article

Investigational Medication to be Studied in Children with Autism (11/30/2007)

Children with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of five and 17 years are needed to participate in a research study looking at how a medicine called fluoxetine works to relieve the repetitive behavior and other symptoms associated with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) ...> Full Article

Neurological Team Finds that New Treatment Holds Promise for Patients with Tourette Syndrome (11/17/2007)

Research out of the Neurological Institute at University Hospitals Case Medical Center finds that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) helps patients who suffer from Tourette Syndrome (TS). This first-of-its-kind study of five adults with TS determined that DBS can reduce tic frequency and severity in some people who have exhausted other medical treatments. ...> Full Article

How Shyness Became a Mental Illness (10/17/2007)

What's wrong with being shy, and just when and how did bashfulness and other ordinary human behaviors in children and adults become psychiatric disorders treatable with powerful, potentially dangerous drugs, asks a Northwestern University scholar in a new book that already is creating waves in the mental health community. ...> Full Article

Low level of conscientiousness may be a risk factor for alzheimer's disease (10/6/2007)

Individuals who are more conscientious-in other words, those with a tendency to be self-disciplined, scrupulous and purposeful-appear less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. ...> Full Article

Personalised treatment for depression a step closer (9/14/2007)

Research carried out at the Brain Mapping Unit may result in more effective treatment of depression, paving the way to a personalised approach in the future. ...> Full Article

Normal role for schizophrenia risk gene identified (9/11/2007)

disc1 makes protein that helps new neurons integrate into our neural network ...> Full Article

Gene Triggers Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-Like Syndrome in Mice (8/26/2007)

Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit. The study, by National Institutes of Health (NIH) -funded researchers, suggests new strategies for treating the disorder. ...> Full Article

New Centre Plans Early Attack For Dementia Crisis (8/14/2007)

Dementia prevention strategies that start with children as young as seven will be a focus of a new network of researchers and health practitioners based at The Australian National University who will develop ways to prevent and mitigate the growing crisis of dementia in Australia, which is predicted to affect up to 500,000 people by 2040. ...> Full Article

Gene Predicts Better Outcome as Cortex Normalizes in Teens with ADHD (8/9/2007)

Brain areas that control attention were thinnest in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who carried a particular version of a gene in a study by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). ...> Full Article

Discovery Of Novel Nerve Cell Modulator Offers Potential For Mood Disorders, Epilepsy Treatments (8/8/2007)

Study shows link between gut protein and brain's natural marijuana-like compounds ...> Full Article

Brain Abnormalities Found in People with Writer's Cramp (8/1/2007)

People with serious cases of writer's cramp have brain abnormalities, according to a study published in the July 24, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. People with writer's cramp had less brain tissue than healthy people in three areas of the brain that connect the senses and movement with their affected hand. ...> Full Article

Grey Matter Loss in Bipolar Disorder Patients (7/24/2007)

People with bipolar disorder - or manic depression - suffer from an accelerated shrinking of their brain, researchers at the University have found. ...> Full Article

For Better Understanding, Researcher Simulates Schizophrenia In Healthy People (7/23/2007)

To better understand schizophrenia, a University of Missouri-Columbia psychology researcher simulated one of its more common symptoms - the inability to speak clearly or respond to questions in a precise manner - in people who don't have the illness. ...> Full Article

Ingredient From Chinese Club Moss To Be Tested Against Epilepsy (7/21/2007)

If a painting's worth were measured by the money it fetched, van Gogh's famous rendering of his friend and physician Dr. Gachet would be among the most valuable in all of art. "Portrait of Dr. Gachet"—which depicts a languid man holding a purple foxglove, the plant from which the drug digitalis is derived—was sold in 1990 for an astounding 82 million dollars. The great and famously tortured artist had his own reasons for valuing the portrait. He suffered from severe epilepsy and depended heavily on Gachet's prescription of digitalis to treat his debilitating seizures. ...> Full Article

Genes Located For Severe Mental Illness (7/20/2007)

Researchers have found the location of genes which can make women vulnerable to severe psychiatric illness and even suicidal just after childbirth. ...> Full Article

Gene Research Used In Test For Schizophrenia (7/20/2007)

QUT's research on schizophrenia genetic markers forms the basis of a collaboration with a major United States diagnostic product manufacturer. ...> Full Article

Sex Differences In Brains Reflect Disease Risks (7/18/2007)

Women may need different treatment from men ...> Full Article

White Matter Research Sheds Light On Schizophrenia (7/10/2007)

An important international study has identified "white matter" abnormalities in the brain as an underlying cause of the symptoms of schizophrenia. ...> Full Article

Violence in Schizophrenia Patients More Likely Among Those with Childhood Conduct Problems (7/2/2007)

Some people with schizophrenia who become violent may do so for reasons unrelated to their current illness, according to a new study analyzing data from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials for Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE). CATIE was funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published online on June 30, 2007, in the journal Law and Human Behavior. ...> Full Article