EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-May-2013

Molecular Psychiatry
Genetic predictors of postpartum depression uncovered by Hopkins researchers
Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when present during pregnancy, reliably predict whether a woman will develop postpartum depression.

Solomon & Rebecca Baker Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 21-May-2013

PLOS Medicine
Integrating mental health care into HIV care
The integration of mental health interventions into HIV prevention and treatment platforms can reduce the opportunity costs of care and improve treatment outcomes, argues a new Policy Forum article published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 20-May-2013

Pediatrics
First long-term study reveals link between childhood ADHD and obesity
A new study conducted by researchers at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center found men diagnosed as children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were twice as likely to be obese in a 33-year follow-up study compared to men who were not diagnosed with the condition. The study appears in the May 20 online edition of Pediatrics.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, European Commission

Public Release: 13-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Circadian clock gene rhythms in brain altered in depression, UC Irvine Health study finds
UC Irvine Health researchers have helped discover that genes controlling circadian clock rhythms are profoundly altered in the brains of people with severe depression. These clock genes regulate 24-hour circadian rhythms affecting hormonal, body temperature, sleep and behavioral patterns.

Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Fund, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 13-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Out of sync with the world: Body clocks of depressed people are altered at cell level
Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression -- even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.

Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Fund, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, Office of Naval Research

Public Release: 9-May-2013

Psychological Science
Social connections drive the 'upward spiral' of positive emotions and health
People who experience warmer, more upbeat emotions may have better physical health because they make more social connections, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 7-May-2013

Brain Stimulation
Nerve stimulation for severe depression changes brain function
For nearly a decade, doctors have used implanted electronic stimulators to treat severe depression in people who don't respond to standard antidepressant treatments. Now, preliminary brain scan studies conducted by School of Medicine researchers are revealing that vagus nerve stimulation brings about changes in brain metabolism weeks or even months before patients begin to feel better.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
Nearly 20 percent of suicidal youths have guns in their home
Nearly one in five children and teens found to be at risk for suicide report that there are guns in their homes, and 15 percent of those at risk for suicide with guns in the home know how to access both the guns and the bullets, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 6, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 2-May-2013

Cell Stem Cell
Turning human stem cells into brain cells sheds light on neural development
Medical researchers have manipulated human stem cells into producing types of brain cells known to play important roles in neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism. The new model cell system allows neuroscientists to investigate normal brain development, as well as to identify specific disruptions in biological signals that may contribute to neuropsychiatric diseases.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 1-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
PTSD research: Distinct gene activity patterns from childhood abuse
A study of adult civilians with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) has shown that individuals with a history of childhood abuse have distinct, profound changes in gene activity patterns, compared to adults with PTSD but without a history of child abuse.

Max-Planck Society, Behrens-Weise Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Public Release: 30-Apr-2013

Stem Cells and Development
Identification of stem cells raises possibility of new therapies
Many diseases -- obesity, type 2 diabetes, muscular dystrophy -- are associated with fat accumulation in muscle. In essence, fat replacement causes the muscles to weaken and degenerate. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have discovered the biological mechanism involved in this process, which could point the way to potential therapies.

NIH/National Institute on Aging, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 25-Apr-2013

European Journal of Neuroscience
Forced exercise may still protect against anxiety and stress, says CU-Boulder study
Being forced to exercise may still help reduce anxiety and depression just as exercising voluntarily does, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Public Release: 25-Apr-2013

Cell
Potential diabetes breakthrough
Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers have discovered a new hormone that holds promise for a dramatically more effective treatment of type 2 diabetes, a metabolic illness afflicting an estimated 26 million Americans. The researchers believe the hormone might also have a role in treating type 1, or juvenile, diabetes.

National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 22-Apr-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Gone, but not forgotten
An international team of neuroscientists has described for the first time, in exhaustive detail, the underlying neurobiology of an amnesiac who suffered from profound memory loss after damage to key portions of his brain.

Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Nuclear Energy Institute

Public Release: 17-Apr-2013

Nature
Going places: Rat brain 'GPS' maps routes to rewards
Studying rats' ability to navigate familiar territory, Johns Hopkins scientists found that the hippocampus uses remembered spatial information to imagine routes the rats then follow. Their discovery has implications for understanding why hippocampal damage disrupts specific types of memory and learning in people with Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline. And because these mental trajectories guide the rats' behavior, the research model may be useful in future studies on higher-level tasks, such as decision-making.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation

Public Release: 16-Apr-2013

eLife
Experiment shows why some stress is good for you
Chronic stress is known to cause major health problems, yet acute stress can be good for you. A new study by UC Berkeley professor Daniela Kaufer shows why. Stress generates new nerve cells in the brain that, two weeks later, help you learn better. Thus, unlike chronic stress, acute stress primes the brain for improved cognitive and mental performance.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, US Department of Defense

Public Release: 10-Apr-2013

American Journal of Public Health
IU study: 'Backbone' of mental illness stigma common in 16 countries studied
An international study found that despite widespread acceptance that mental illness is a disease that can be effectively treated, a common "backbone" of prejudice exists that unfairly paints people with conditions such as depression and schizophrenia as undesirable for close personal relationships and positions of authority.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Fogarty International Center, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 10-Apr-2013

New England Journal of Medicine
First objective measure of pain discovered in brain scan patterns by CU-Boulder study
For the first time, scientists have been able to predict how much pain people are feeling by looking at images of their brains, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.

NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 9-Apr-2013

JAMA Psychiatry
Researchers confirm multiple genes robustly contribute to schizophrenia risk in replication study
Multiple genes contribute to risk for schizophrenia and appear to function in pathways related to transmission of signals in the brain and immunity, according to an international study led by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy researchers.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 3-Apr-2013

Health Psychology
Marriage can threaten health: Study finds satisfied newlyweds more likely to gain weight
A study of 169 newlywed couples finds that spouses who are more satisfied with their marriage are more likely to gain weight because they are less likely to consider divorce and thus find a new partner, says psychologist and lead researcher Andrea Meltzer, Southern Methodist University, Dallas.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Fetzer Institute, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Development

Public Release: 3-Apr-2013

Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Urinary tract infections 29 times more likely in schizophrenia relapse
Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are 29 times more likely than healthy individuals to have a urinary tract infection, researchers report.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 1-Apr-2013

Depression and Anxiety
Many emergency department providers don't ask suicidal patients about gun access
Although guns are used in over half of all American suicides, a new study shows many emergency room doctors do not routinely ask suicidal patients about their access to firearms.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Public Release: 28-Mar-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Brain scans might predict future criminal behavior
A portable MRI was used to assess anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity in 96 adult male inmates who were then followed for up to four years after their release from prison. Those who re-offended were more likely to have lower ACC activity, indicating impulsivity and anti-social behavior.

NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Law and Neuroscience Project

Public Release: 28-Mar-2013

Child Development
Teens' struggles with peers forecast long-term adult problems
Teens' struggles to connect with their peers in early adolescence while not succumbing to negative peer influences predict their capacity to form strong friendships and avoid serious problems. In a longitudinal study, researchers followed 150 teens over a 10-year period to learn about the lasting effects of peer struggles in early adolescence. They found establishing social competence in early adolescence involves negotiating conflicting goals between peer acceptance and autonomy with regard to negative peer influences.

NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 22-Mar-2013

Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Alterations in brain activity in children at risk of schizophrenia predate onset of symptoms
Research from the University of North Carolina has shown that children at risk of developing schizophrenia have brains that function differently than those not at risk.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development