March, 2010
Study Examines GABA Involvement in Depression
As depression can greatly impact an individual, the continued research into its treatment is necessary. A recent Science Daily release revealed that the next advance in this treatment could relate to a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all brain activity.
In a study co-authored by Drs. Andrea J. Levinson and Zafiris J. Daskalakis of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), researchers determined that compared to healthy individuals, those with major depressive disorder have altered functions of the neurotransmitter GABA.
This study found that those individuals with the most treatment-resistant forms of illness demonstrate the greatest reductions of GABA levels in the brain. This suggests that medications that correct a GABA imbalance could advance the treatment of major depressive disorder.
“Our findings build on the idea that some current medications do not help many patients because those drugs don’t affect the GABA-related brain chemistry,” said study author Dr. Andrea Levinson, in Science Daily.
The GABA neurotransmitter and its receptors are involved in many different brain functions. GABA is part of the brain system that enables individuals to fine-tune their moods, thoughts and actions with an incredible level of detail. It also provides the necessary inhibitory effect that individuals need to block out excessive brain activity that can lead to excessive negative thinking.
“We are advancing the goal of a truly personalized medicine,” says study co-author Dr. Daskalakis. “It is intriguing to think that we may soon be able to apply simple brain stimulation to identify which treatments are most likely to help the individual person, eliminating the guesswork. That is, through these findings we may be able to one day determine who is and who is not going to respond to traditional pharmacological approaches to depression.”
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Antidepressants Help Patients with Physical Illness
Antidepressants are effective against depression in patients suffering from physical illnesses, according to a new systematic review by Cochrane researchers at King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre in the UK. The researchers found the drugs were more effective than placebos at treating depression in these patients. One of the most neglected areas of healthcare research is the effects of physical illness on an individual’s mental health.
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Guilt-Based PSAs Have Opposite Impact
Public service announcements (PSAs) are meant to contribute something positive to the community. In the case of PSAs aimed at shaming college students out of drinking activities may instead send them back to the bottle.
The New York Daily News recently reported on a new study that found PSAs that strongly associate binge drinking with shame and guilt may only foster resistance to the message, creating an opposite effect.
Vitamin D May Lift Spirits in Cold Weather
A daily dose of vitamin D may just be what people in northern climates need to get through the long winter, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). This nutrient lifts mood during cold weather months when days are short and more time is spent indoors.
Short Online Questionnaire a Valid Tool for Screening Psychiatric Illnesses
A one-page, 27-item questionnaire that is available free online is a valid and effective tool to help primary care doctors screen patients for four common psychiatric illnesses, a study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers concludes. Results of the My Mood Monitor (M-3) checklist study are published in the March/April 2010 issue of Annals of Family Medicine.
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New Scale Measuring Anxiety Outcomes Developed
A new questionnaire and outcomes measurement scale developed by the department of psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of anxiety. The scale can easily be incorporated into routine clinical practice when treating psychiatric disorders. The study appears online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
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Recognizing Signs of Mental Illness in Your Child
When something just doesn’t seem right with your child, your first reaction is most likely to check to see if there’s something physically wrong. But once you’ve ruled out, or taken care of, any obvious physical reason for your child behaving markedly different, you may wonder if there’s a psychological cause. While there’s usually another explanation for why your child is acting odd, sometimes there may be something more to it. If you suspect mental illness, it’s important to recognize the signs that may indicate a problem.
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Studies Examine Gene Impact in Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia continues to be a puzzling disease and one that doctors cannot always effectively treat and scientists still don’t fully understand. A recent Science Daily release examined a report of two new studies in which researchers led by Johns Hopkins say they have identified the mechanisms rooted in anatomical brain abnormalities that could explain the onset of schizophrenia.
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Study Examines Potential to Control Drug Dependence
For the millions of individuals who fight drug dependence every day, not all of them set out to develop a drug problem. Those who are desperate to find relief may benefit from work done by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
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Some Antidepressants Bring Higher Risk of Developing Cataracts
A new statistical study has found that some antidepressant drugs are associated with an increased chance of developing cataracts. Researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and McGill University conducted the study, based on a database of more than 200,000 Quebec residents aged 65 and older, that showed statistical relationships between a diagnosis of cataracts or cataract surgery and the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as well as between cataracts and specific drugs within that class.
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