Curated News: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

• share
• favorite_border

Neuroimaging techniques, like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are not able to directly measure neuronal activity. To address this knowledge gap, a research team led by Ian Shih, PhD, professor and vice chair of the Department of Neurology and associate director of the Biomedical Research Imaging Center, has created a novel experimental platform that is able to optically record local neuronal activity during brain-wide fMRI in rodents.

• share
• favorite_border

A study in mice, led by Tufts University School of Medicine scientists, found chronic stress reduced an animal’s abilities to produce and respond to neurosteroids, specifically allopregnanolone.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study by UC Davis MIND Institute researchers finds that changes in the IQ level of autistic youth may help predict their developmental path as adolescents.

• share
• favorite_border

Human brain atlases can be used by medical professionals to track normative trends over time and to pinpoint crucial aspects of early brain development. By using these atlases, they are able to see what typical structural and functional development looks like, making it easier for them to spot the symptoms of abnormal development, such as attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and cerebral palsy.

• share
• favorite_border

Reaching out to support a person when they’re under stress is always a good idea. But a new study suggests that support could be especially important for someone whose genetic makeup makes them more likely to develop depression.

• share
• favorite_border

Personal sensing data could help monitor and alleviate stress among resident physicians, although privacy concerns over who sees the information and for what purposes must be addressed, according to collaborative research from Cornell Tech.

• share
• favorite_border

A genetic test known as chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) could help identify the cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or its counterpart in older children, known as sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC), finds a study led by Boston Children’s Hospital.

• share
• favorite_border

Trauma can cause dissociative symptoms—such as having an out-of-body experience, or feeling emotionally numb—that may help an individual cope in the short term but can have negative impacts if the symptoms persist for a long period of time.

• share
• favorite_border

When evaluating the success or failure of efforts to implement evidence-based interventions, ensuring that implementation is equitable across populations is important.

• share
• favorite_border

New UCLA-led research suggests certain gut bacteria -- including one that is essential for a healthy gut microbiome – differ between people who go on to acquire HIV infection compared to those who have not become infected. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal eBioMedicine, suggest that the gut microbiome could contribute to one’s risk for HIV infection, said study lead Dr.

• share
• favorite_border

One of the most upsetting aspects of age-related memory decline is not being able to remember the face that accompanies the name of a person you just talked with hours earlier.

• share
• favorite_border

UCLA researchers and colleagues at Emory University and other research centers have combined data simulation and experimental observation to bridge a gap between two major properties of large-scale organization of the human brain – stationary and traveling waves of activity.

• share
• favorite_border

Texas Biomed has received a $3.9 million NIH grant to explore how gene-editing technology may help eradicate HIV in the brain.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine provide some of the first empirical evidence that brain ripples exist. These electrical waves have long been hypothesized as a way for the brain to integrate and encode memories.

• share
• favorite_border

A global study published in BMC Psychiatry reports that 34% of people with premenstrual dysphoric disorder have attempted suicide. The findings offer the strongest scientific evidence to date that the disorder is likely an independent contributor to suicidal thoughts and actions.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study suggests that antidepressant use by mothers during the first trimester of pregnancy does not increase the chances of epilepsy and seizures in babies. The research is published in the May 11, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

A University of California, Irvine-led team of researchers, along with members of the Pritzker Research Consortium, have developed an approach to identify blood biomarkers that could predict the suicide risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients.