Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Aging does not appear to be a factor in poor sleep

Aging does not appear to be a factor in poor sleep, a new survey of more than 150,000 Americans shows. In fact, subjective sleep quality seems to improve over a lifetime, with the fewest complaints coming from people in their 80s.

1 Mar 2012

Digital exercises improve brain function, behavior in people with schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia who completed 80 hours of intensive, computerized cognitive training exercises were better able to perform complex tasks that required them to distinguish their internal thoughts from reality.

1 Mar 2012

MU researcher to improve current rehabilitation strategies for amputees

When a limb is lost or absent from birth, patients have different strategies that can be used for rehabilitation. However, this rehabilitation can be mentally exhausting and extremely painful in some cases, and scientists are looking for ways to improve the rehabilitation experience.

1 Mar 2012

State roundup: Mass. Gov. says state health reform easing cost increases; N.J. localities overpay on health coverage; Pa. cuts raise ire

At a speech to the American Cancer Society, Gov. Deval Patrick says that Massachusetts health reform has led to significant improvements in cancer screening. ... Patrick also calculates that current health care cost control efforts are enabling the state to "avoid nearly a billion dollars in cost increases in this fiscal year and another several hundred million more next year."

1 Mar 2012

More than 80% of anesthesiologists have been involved in surgical catastrophes

More than 80 percent of anesthesiologists have been involved in a catastrophic event involving death or injury to a patient during surgery, suggests a survey study in the March issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

1 Mar 2012

Inhibitory effect of serotonin 1A receptor is extremely small in people with depression

Researchers at the MedUni Vienna have, for the first time, investigated the influence of the serotonin system on the default mode network (DMN) in the human brain and discovered that, in people with depression, the inhibitory effect of the serotonin 1A receptor is extremely small. This means, says Siegfried Kasper, Head of the University Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, that affected patients "are virtually never able to be mentally calm".

1 Mar 2012

Hawaii bags “Happiest State” award for third year in a row

After an assessment of health and well-being of Americans in 2011 – known as Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, it was found that among the 50 U.S. states, Hawaii, with a score of 70.2, tops the list with the highest level of well-being. This is the third year in a row that Hawaii has come in first.

29 Feb 2012

Sleeping pills may raise risk of death: Study

According to a U.S. study, people who take certain prescription sleeping pills even once in a while may be up to five times more susceptible to early death. In the U.S., an estimated six per cent to 10 per cent of adults used the drugs in 2010.

29 Feb 2012

D-serine improves depressed rats' brain plasticity and memory

During depression, the brain becomes less plastic and adaptable, and thus less able to perform certain tasks, like storing memories. Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have now traced the brain's lower plasticity to reduced functionality in its support cells, and believe that learning more about these cells can pave the way for radical new therapies for depression.

29 Feb 2012

Mantra-based meditation shows promise against age-associated cognitive impairment

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital determined that mantra-based meditation can have a positive impact on emotional responses to stress, fatigue and anxiety in adults with memory impairment and memory loss.

29 Feb 2012

Research compares basis for social dysfunction between ASD, schizophrenia

A UT Dallas professor is studying the differences between the social impairments found in autism and schizophrenia to help develop better treatments for people with both disorders.

29 Feb 2012

Nurses play a key role in alleviating cancer patients' concerns

Often faced with overwhelming anxiety, patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer can find themselves in distress, and new research recommends nurses play a key role in alleviating concerns, leading to a better quality of life for patients.

29 Feb 2012

Single dose of Ritalin may raise awareness of mistakes: Study

The study, by Dr Rob Hester from the Department of Psychological Sciences and colleagues at the Queensland Brain Institute, investigated how the brain monitors ongoing behavior for performance errors – specifically failures of impulse control. This study found that a single dose of methylphenidate (Ritalin) results in significantly greater activity in the brain’s error monitoring network and improved volunteers’ awareness of their mistakes.

28 Feb 2012

Low levels of omega-3 in blood ‘ups’ risk of dementia and brain aging: Study

Researchers looked at 1,575 adults who averaged 67 years old and had no signs of dementia and had not had a stroke. They were given MRI brain scans and a battery of tests to measure memory and thinking abilities; they also had blood drawn to check the level of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells. Those with the lowest levels of omega-3s showed signs of accelerated aging. They had lower brain volume, indicating shrinkage comparable to two additional years of aging. Compared with those with the highest blood levels of omega-3s, they scored lower on cognitive tests measuring such things as memory, problem solving, abstract thinking and multi-tasking.

28 Feb 2012

Largest study to date to observe dynamic social scenes in children with ASD

In a study published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Katherine Rice and colleagues, from the Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory University School of Medicine, used eye-tracking technology to measure the relationship between cognitive and social disability in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the ability of children with ASD to pay attention to social interactions.

28 Feb 2012

Gedeon Richter and Forest Labs' cariprazine Phase III trials on schizophrenia meet primary endpoint

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Gedeon Richter Plc. today announced positive top-line results in 2 Phase III clinical trials of cariprazine (RGH-188) for the treatment of acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.

28 Feb 2012

Childhood adversity may lead to epigenetic changes in glucocorticoid receptor gene

In a look at how major stressors during childhood can change a person's biological risk for psychiatric disorders, researchers at Butler Hospital have discovered a genetic alteration at the root of the association.

28 Feb 2012

Older women with recurrent pain more likely to develop depression, obesity

Women age 50 and older who experience worsening pain with aging also have a higher risk for depression, obesity and declining physical function, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society.

28 Feb 2012

Study finds subtle cognitive deficits in women treated with CMF chemotherapy

Dutch investigators have reported that women who received CMF chemotherapy (a combination regimen including the drugs cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil) for breast cancer between 1976 and 1995 scored worse on cognitive tests than women who never had cancer.

28 Feb 2012

JAM study highlights emerging problem in addiction therapy

A Journal of Addiction Medicine (JAM) study was cited in a recent Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) series highlighting an emerging problem in addiction therapy: the diversion and misuse of the medication buprenorphine.

28 Feb 2012

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Aging does not appear to be a factor in poor sleep

Digital exercises improve brain function, behavior in people with schizophrenia

MU researcher to improve current rehabilitation strategies for amputees

State roundup: Mass. Gov. says state health reform easing cost increases; N.J. localities overpay on health coverage; Pa. cuts raise ire

More than 80% of anesthesiologists have been involved in surgical catastrophes

Inhibitory effect of serotonin 1A receptor is extremely small in people with depression

Hawaii bags “Happiest State” award for third year in a row

Sleeping pills may raise risk of death: Study

D-serine improves depressed rats' brain plasticity and memory

Mantra-based meditation shows promise against age-associated cognitive impairment

Research compares basis for social dysfunction between ASD, schizophrenia

Nurses play a key role in alleviating cancer patients' concerns

Single dose of Ritalin may raise awareness of mistakes: Study

Low levels of omega-3 in blood ‘ups’ risk of dementia and brain aging: Study

Largest study to date to observe dynamic social scenes in children with ASD

Gedeon Richter and Forest Labs' cariprazine Phase III trials on schizophrenia meet primary endpoint

Childhood adversity may lead to epigenetic changes in glucocorticoid receptor gene

Older women with recurrent pain more likely to develop depression, obesity

Study finds subtle cognitive deficits in women treated with CMF chemotherapy

JAM study highlights emerging problem in addiction therapy

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

How GLP‑1 Agonists Are Shaping the Future of Obesity Treatment With Dr Bryony Henderson

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

How GLP‑1 Agonists Are Shaping the Future of Obesity Treatment With Dr Bryony Henderson

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