Feature Channels: Mental Health

• share
• favorite_border

While schizophrenia is best known for episodes of psychosis – a break with reality during which an individual may experience delusions and hallucinations – it is also marked by chronic neurocognitive deficits, such as problems with memory and attention. A multi-site cognition study led by psychologists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) found that these neurocognitive symptoms are evident prior to the onset of psychosis in a high-risk stage of the disorder called the prodromal phase. The findings suggest that these impairments may serve as early warning signs of schizophrenia, as well as potential targets for intervention that could mitigate the onset of the psychotic disorder and significantly improve cognitive function.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin can now map what happens neurologically when new information influences a person to change his or her mind, a finding that offers more insight into the mechanics of learning.

• share
• favorite_border

A collaboration of 32 researchers in seven countries, led by scientists at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida, has found a genetic mutation they say confers a risk for development of Parkinson’s disease earlier than usual.

• share
• favorite_border

Using war metaphors in reference to Alzheimer’s disease should be replaced with messages of resilience against a complex, age-associated condition that may not be fully defeatable, according to a team of researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have developed a chemical compound that detects the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta better than current FDA-approved agents. The compound potentially could be used in brain scans to identify the signs of Alzheimer’s early, or to monitor response to treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

The 2016 Pardes Humanitarian Prize in Mental Health was presented to Dr. Vikram Patel of India, and Dr. Charles F. Reynolds, III of the United States at the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation International Awards Dinner, on Friday, October 28, at The Pierre in Manhattan.

• share
• favorite_border

UCLA Health experts are available to discuss a wide variety of topics of interest for the month of November.

• share
• favorite_border

As published in JNCCN, a recent project out of Canada shows that programs identifying stress and distress in patients with cancer increase health care professionals’ confidence and awareness of patient-centeredness; outcomes are influenced by site-based navigators and practice size.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study in the journal Development, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers report preclinical findings showing promise for targeting a gene linked to microcephaly in infants as a treatment for medulloblastoma.

• share
• favorite_border

To improve access to quality health care for adults with IDD and to support the physician specialty of adult developmental medicine, UofL and the Lee Specialty Clinic are sponsoring the second annual Caring for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Conference Nov. 12 at UofL.

• share
• favorite_border

A study in the American Journal of Critical Care found that patients with both fatigue and depression were hospitalized more than those without either condition. They also had more visits to the emergency department and longer lengths of stay.

• share
• favorite_border

The brain’s interpretation of sound is influenced by cues from other senses, explaining more precisely how we interpret what we hear at a particular moment, according to a report published in Nature Neuroscience online Oct. 31.

• share
• favorite_border

A Cardiff University study has found that children using screen-based media devices at bedtime have over double the risk of inadequate sleep duration compared to children without access to such a device.

• share
• favorite_border

Serious mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia has been shown to affect relationships and parenting capabilities. Children of parents with serious mental illness are vulnerable, and therefore comprehensive knowledge about their life circumstances is warranted for public health strategies to provide helpful supportive services. A study published in the November 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) found that the living arrangements of children whose parents have a serious mental illness differ from the general population.

• share
• favorite_border

The latest research and features in the fields of psychology and psychiatry.

• share
• favorite_border

During their first year, clinicians at the new Montefiore Einstein Center for the Aging Brain (CAB) saw significant improvements in their ability to identify patients with dementia symptoms and more quickly identify signs of depression and anxiety. This first year data has been published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The Center’s model, which follows a three-step evaluation and management plan from clinicians in Geriatrics, Neuropsychology and Neurology, examines referred patients for evaluation of cognitive complaints based on daily activities, demographic information, additional medical conditions, and medication review.

• share
• favorite_border

The distinct structures of toxic protein aggregates that form in degenerating brains determine which type of dementia will occur, which regions of brain will be affected, and how quickly the disease will spread, according to a study from the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

• share
• favorite_border

Babies crunching leaves in their hands, children creating costumes with their parents, and families picking pumpkins at the local pumpkin patch -- it doesn't have to be cheap or include witches and werewolves for parents to spend time with their children and help aid in their psychological and social development

• share
• favorite_border

Men can take birth control shots to prevent pregnancy in their female partners, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

• share
• favorite_border

The number of people diagnosed with depression at psychiatric hospitals increases immediately after the transition from daylight saving time to standard time -- this is the conclusion of a recent register-based study from Denmark.

• share
• favorite_border

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) announced today the relaunch of CognitiveVitality.org, its brain health and dementia prevention website. The streamlined, easy-to-navigate site separates fact from fiction and empowers people to make smarter choices for their brain health.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing faculty Diana Hackbarth, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Fran Vlasses, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, have been awarded a $928,000 grant over two years from the Health Resources and Services Administration to integrate behavioral health providers into nurse-led primary care teams.

• share
• favorite_border

Epidural anesthesia may do more than relieve pain during labor; in some women it may decrease the likelihood of postpartum depression, suggests a preliminary study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2016 annual meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

Studying brain tissue from deceased donors, Johns Hopkins scientists have found common groups of genes disrupted among people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. The commonly affected genes sets, identified with RNA sequencing methods, engage in making proteins, controlling brain cell communications and mounting an immune system response, the researchers say.

• share
• favorite_border

Discussing the importance of addressing the emotional needs of all family members involved upon the announcement of a new addition to the family.

• share
• favorite_border

A Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey researcher has received a $596,250 award (W81XWH-16-1-0358) from the U.S. Department of Defense to study the role of chronic stress in breast cancer development. The focus of the work is to explore how chronic stress impacts breast cancer risk and to provide a foundation that can guide prevention strategies.

• share
• favorite_border

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an untreatable inherited disorder that leads to loss of motor neurons and paralysis. Now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Stanford University have designed compounds to correct the molecular dysfunction underlying the disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Carlozzi is the lead author of four new papers which present the results of her National Institutes of Health-funded study to develop new patient-reported outcome measures for Huntington’s disease.

• share
• favorite_border

Those living in more advantaged neighborhoods are less likely to have a stroke than are their counterparts who live in less advantaged neighborhoods, according to a UAB study.

• share
• favorite_border

A key strategy missing from the ambitious Alzheimer’s disease plan signed into law by President Obama six years ago could send investigational drugs down a precarious pipeline, argue two physicians.

• share
• favorite_border

Given the relatively short lifespans of many pets, it’s not unusual for children to witness the realities of life played out in their homes. Research by Canisius College professor Joshua J. Russell, PhD, focuses on how children understand death in these moments, and the ideas, feelings and responses they have when their pets die.

• share
• favorite_border

STEM CELLS Translational Medicine published the work of San Antonio scientists aiming to develop a more effective method for delivering neural stem cells to the brain in an effort to move forward stem cell therapies to treat neurological disorders.

• share
• favorite_border

New research led by UC San Francisco scientists has revealed that mutations in a gene linked with brain development may dispose people to multiple forms of psychiatric disease by changing the way brain cells communicate.

• share
• favorite_border

A sleep abnormality likely plays an important role in schizophrenia, according to sleep experts at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). In a review of the growing body of evidence linking a reduction in sleep spindle activity to schizophrenia, the researchers suggested that a better understanding of this sleep abnormality’s genetic underpinnings opens the door to new treatments for the psychiatric disorder. Their paper appeared in the October 15 issue of Biological Psychiatry.

• share
• favorite_border

A UCLA psychiatrist weighs in on steps we can take to keep our calm – and our friends and family – in this highly charged political climate.

• share
• favorite_border

Think of the word "genius," and a few images undoubtedly come to mind – perhaps a picture of Albert Einstein, of a scientist in a lab shouting “Eureka!” or of present-day theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

New research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business finds that those in high-stress jobs with little control over their workflow die younger or are less healthy than those who have more flexibility and discretion in their jobs and are able to set their own goals as part of their employment.

• share
• favorite_border

Mental health researchers have made a promising breakthrough in the early detection of the risk of psychosis, with the eventual hope that patients could be given appropriate treatments earlier to prevent psychotic episodes from occurring.

• share
• favorite_border

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have developed an MRI-based method that can track the state and progression of a common type of genetically mutated brain cancer.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Low socio-economic status and fear of abandonment early in life can lead to poor health in adulthood, regardless of adult socio-economic status, according to a new study from psychologists at Rice University.

• share
• favorite_border

Worsening depression symptoms are associated with shorter survival for lung cancer patients, particularly those in the early stages of disease, according to a new U.S. study.

• share
• favorite_border

Bringing the world one step closer to when destructive addiction-fueling memories can be erased with a single treatment, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have received a National Institutes of Health grant through the Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network and the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

• share
• favorite_border

Youth Villages, a national nonprofit organization helping more than 23,000 children, young people and families this year is using evidence-based Collaborative Problem Solving as part of a sweeping rethinking about what really makes kids act out, get into trouble with alcohol, drugs or sex, or even turn to violence or suicide. The partnership with Think: Kids includes a research component to further the evidence base in how to best help the most vulnerable children.

• share
• favorite_border

Stress isn't good for your waist line. For older married couples, the added pounds may be caused by a spouse's long-term stress levels.

• share
• favorite_border

Violence-related deaths, including homicides and suicides, are an urgent public health problem, according to Alex E. Crosby, MD, MPH, James A. Mercy, PhD, and Debra Houry, MD, MPH, from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA. Their commentary and contributions by other noted experts in the supplement to the November American Journal of Preventive Medicine provide valuable insights into new data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), which can help inform current debates about violence, prevention, and public policy.

• share
• favorite_border

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a very common condition diagnosed mainly in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 6.4 million children between four and 17 years of age have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011.

• share
• favorite_border

Children who suffer head injuries from falls or sports can usually recover quickly. However, this recovery trait is not always there, say Harris Health System experts. They warn these injuries can lead to significant life-changing physical, emotional or cognitive development.