EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 14-Sep-2012

Psychiatric Services
Simple tool may help evaluate risk for violence among patients with mental illness
Mental health professionals, who often are tasked with evaluating and managing the risk of violence by their patients, may benefit from a simple tool to more accurately make a risk assessment, according to a recent study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 13-Sep-2012

Neuron
Study reveals how common gene mutation affects kids with autism spectrum disorders
In children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, a common gene mutation has been found to impact the network of connections between different areas of the brain involved in social behavior, such as recognizing the emotions shown on people's faces.

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

Public Release: 13-Sep-2012

Journal of Family Psychology
Should I marry him?
In the first scientific study to test whether doubts about getting married are more likely to lead to an unhappy marriage and divorce, UCLA psychologists report that when women have doubts before their wedding, those doubts are often a warning sign of trouble if they go ahead with the marriage. The study demonstrates that pre-wedding uncertainty, especially among women, predicts higher divorce rates and less marital satisfaction years later.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, National Science Foundation, UCLA

Public Release: 6-Sep-2012
Studying sex differences in autism focus of $15 million NIH award to Yale center
The reasons why autism spectrum disorders are almost five times more common among boys than among girls may soon be revealed, thanks to a five-year, $15 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Yale School of Medicine for the Autism Centers of Excellence research program.

NIH/National Institute Of Mental Health

Public Release: 6-Sep-2012

Archives of General Psychiatry
Predicting how patients respond to therapy
A new study led by MIT neuroscientists has found that brain scans of patients with social anxiety disorder can help predict whether they will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy.

Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 4-Sep-2012

Psychological Science
That giant tarantula is terrifying, but I'll touch it
Can simply describing your feelings at stressful times make you less afraid and less anxious? A new UCLA psychology study suggests that labeling your emotions at the moment you are confronting what you fear, can indeed have that effect.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, American Psychological Association

Public Release: 4-Sep-2012

Psychiatric Services
Simple tool may help inexperienced psychiatrists better predict violence risk in patients
Inexperienced psychiatrists are less likely than their veteran peers to accurately predict violence by their patients, but a simple assessment checklist might help bridge that accuracy gap, according to new research from the University of Michigan.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, American Psychiatric Association, and others

Public Release: 29-Aug-2012

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
When to worry about kids' temper tantrums
Temper tantrums in young children can be an early signal of mental health problems, but how does a parent or pediatrician know when disruptive behavior is typical or a sign of a serious problem? A Northwestern researcher has developed a new tool for parents and professionals to know when to worry. In a surprising finding, the study also debunks the common belief temper tantrums are rampant among young children.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 27-Aug-2012

Annals of Behavioral Medicine
The effects of discrimination could last a lifetime
Given the well-documented relationship between low birth weight and the increased risk of health problems throughout one's lifespan, it is vital to reduce any potential contributors to low birth weight. A new study by Valerie Earnshaw and her colleagues from Yale University sheds light on one possible causal factor. Their findings indicate that chronic, everyday instances of discrimination against pregnant, urban women of color may contribute to low birth weight babies.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 22-Aug-2012

Biological Psychiatry
Male mice exposed to chronic social stress have anxious female offspring
A study in mice conducted by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine suggests that a woman's risk of anxiety and dysfunctional social behavior may depend on the experiences of her parents, particularly fathers, when they were young.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Public Release: 22-Aug-2012

Neuron
More sophisticated wiring, not just bigger brain, helped humans evolve beyond chimps
A new study pinpoints uniquely human patterns of gene activity in the brain that could shed light on how we evolved differently than our closest relative. Identifying these genes could improve understanding of human brain diseases like autism and schizophrenia, as well as learning disorders and addictions.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 14-Aug-2012

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Girls with ADHD more prone to self-injury, suicide as they enter adulthood
Girls with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) -- and their families -- often look forward to the likely decline in visible symptoms such as fidgety or disruptive behavior as they mature into young women. However, new findings from UC Berkeley caution that, as they enter adulthood, girls with histories of ADHD are more prone to internalize their struggles and feelings of failure -- a development that can manifest itself in self-injury and even attempted suicide.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 14-Aug-2012

PLOS ONE
Studies seek better understanding and treatment of depression
Connecting the dots between two molecules whose levels are decreased in depression and increased by current antidepressants could yield new therapies, researchers say. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that enables brain cells to communicate and brain-derived neurotropic factor, or BDNF, is a brain-nourishing molecule that also aids connectivity. Popular antidepressants such as Prozac, developed to increase levels of serotonin, have recently been found to also increase BDNF levels, said Dr. Anilkumar Pillai, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 8-Aug-2012

Neurotoxicology and Teratology
Boys appear to be more vulnerable than girls to the insecticide chlorpyrifos
A new study is the first to find a difference between how boys and girls respond to prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health found that, at age seven, boys had greater difficulty with working memory, a key component of IQ, than girls with similar exposures.

NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Protection Agency, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, John and Wendy Neu Family Foundation

Public Release: 6-Aug-2012
Researchers pursue red flag for schizophrenia relapse
Blood levels of a protein that helps regulate inflammation may also serve as a red flag for relapse in some schizophrenia patients, researchers said. "There are no good, objective measures of treatment efficacy or indicators for relapse," said Dr. Brian Miller, a psychiatrist specializing in schizophrenia at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health/Mentored Patient-Oriented Research

Public Release: 6-Aug-2012

Archives of General Psychiatry
Behavioral intervention can reduce tics in adults with Tourette syndrome
Specially designed comprehensive behavioral therapy is more effective than sessions offering patient support and education in helping adults with Tourette syndrome manage their tics according to a study in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2012
UCLA-led project aimed at African American couples affected by HIV gets $2.5 million boost
A UCLA-led project to implement a unique HIV intervention program aimed at reducing sexually risky behaviors and promoting healthier living among heterosexual African American couples has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2012

Journal of Neuroscience
Brain imaging can predict how intelligent you are, study finds
When it comes to intelligence, what factors distinguish the brains of the exceptionally smart from those of average humans? New research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that as much as 10 percent of individual differences in intelligence can be explained by the strength of neural pathways connecting the left lateral prefrontal cortex to the rest of the brain.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 31-Jul-2012

Behavior Therapy
New University of Houston research focuses on treatment for perpetrator, not victim
A new UH experiment takes an unconventional look at the treatment for domestic violence, otherwise known as intimate partner violence (IPV), by focusing on changing the perpetrators' psychological abuse during arguments rather than addressing his sexist beliefs.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 26-Jul-2012

Science
Connectomics: Mapping the neural network governing male roundworm mating
In a study published online in Science, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have determined the complete wiring diagram for the part of the nervous system controlling mating in the male roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, an animal model intensively studied by scientists worldwide.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

Public Release: 24-Jul-2012

Journal of Neuroscience
Wayne State develops better understanding of memory retrieval between children and adults
Neuroscientists from Wayne State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are taking a deeper look into how the brain mechanisms for memory retrieval differ between adults and children. While the memory systems are the same in many ways, the researchers have learned that crucial functions with relevance to learning and education differ. The team's findings were published on July 17, 2012, in the Journal of Neuroscience.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 24-Jul-2012

XIX International AIDS Conference
Phase III trial of dapivirine ring begins in Africa: New HIV prevention approach for women
A large clinical trial testing the long-term safety and effectiveness of a new approach for preventing HIV in women -- a vaginal ring used once a month -- is now underway in Africa, researchers announced today at AIDS 2012. The Phase III trial, known as ASPIRE, is testing a vaginal ring that slowly releases the antiretroviral drug dapivirine over the course of a month, potentially giving women discreet, long-acting protection against HIV transmitted through sex.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 23-Jul-2012

XIX International AIDS Conference
HPTN study finds greatly elevated HIV infection rates among young black MSM in the US
Study results released today by the HIV Prevention Trials Network show disturbing rates of new HIV infections occurring among black gay and bisexual men in the US.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 11-Jul-2012

Human Molecular Genetics
Mutations in autism susceptibility gene increase risk in boys
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have identified five rare mutations in a single gene that appear to increase the chances that a boy will develop an autism spectrum disorder. Mutations in the AFF2 gene, and other genes like it on the X chromosome, may explain why autism spectrum disorders affect four times as many boys as girls.

National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Simons Foundation Autism Research Institute

Public Release: 11-Jul-2012

PLOS ONE
Using biomarkers to identify and treat schizophrenia
In the current online issue of PLoS ONE, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have identified a set of laboratory-based biomarkers that can be useful for understanding brain-based abnormalities in schizophrenia. The measurements, known as endophenotypes, could ultimately be a boon to clinicians who sometimes struggle to recognize and treat the complex and confounding mental disorder.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Veterans Affairs