Research
New Causes of Childhood Obesity Found
Scientists in Cambridge have discovered that the loss of a key segment of DNA can lead to severe childhood obesity. This is the first study to show that this kind of genetic alteration can cause obesity. The study, led by Dr. Sadaf Farooqi from the University of Cambridge and Dr. Matt Hurles from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, looked at 300 children with severe obesity.
Insecure Relationships can Lead to Pain and Depression in Teens
Researchers from the Université de Montréal, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center, and McGill University have discovered that insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, abdominal pain, and joint pain. According to the study, published in the Journal of Pain, these teens are also more likely to be depressed than peers with secure attachments.
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Are Rats Risk-Averse?
Rats are often studied to determine how humans might behave in a similar situation or react to a medication. Though rats have been known to understand simple reward and punishment responses, it has not been explored whether rats could understand the concept of “playing the odds.” A recent study by Zeeb, Robbins, & Winstanley in 2009 examined whether rats are capable of such behavior and whether altering their brain chemistry to imitate the brain chemistry of human gamblers would change the rats’ decisions.
Component of Common Plastics Linked to ADHD
A new report by Korean scientists has found that phthalates—important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items—are associated with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Studies to date on phthalates have been inconsistent, with some linking exposure to these chemicals to hormone disruptions, birth defects, asthma, and reproductive problems, while others have found no significant association between exposure and adverse effects.
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Tracing the Pattern of Drug Use to Drug Dependence
What makes the difference between a casual drink and alcohol dependence? How do you know when someone goes from trying marijuana now and then to having a serious abuse problem? Scientists still do not know how all of the factors involved in substance abuse work together, but a series of studies provides insight into how age plays a factor in going from using a substance to abusing it.
Three studies provide related information with a glimpse at the patterns of drug abuse. In 1994, Anthony, Warner and Kessler provided information showing probabilities for drug use and drug dependence. A 2002 study by Wagner and Anthony compared the time difference between a first experimentation with a drug or alcohol and the progression to drug dependence. In 2007 Wagner & Anthony explored the gender differences in these patterns. All three studies used data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) from 1990-1992.
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Depression as Deadly as Smoking, New Study Finds
A study has found that depression is as much of a risk factor for mortality as smoking, according to researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, and the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King’s College London.
Utilizing a unique link between a survey of more than 60,000 people and a comprehensive mortality database, the researchers found that over the four years following the survey, the mortality risk was increased to a similar extent in people who were depressed as in people who were smokers.
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Eating Licorice While Pregnant May Affect Child’s IQ and Behavior
A study has shown that expectant mothers who eat excessive quantities of licorice during pregnancy could adversely affect their child’s intelligence and behavior.
The study of eight-year-old children whose mothers ate large amounts of licorice when pregnant found that they did not perform as well as other youngsters on cognitive tests.
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Researchers Identify Violent Behavior Cues
The effective prediction of violent behavior can prevent future situations that can involve illegal acts or even death. Violent behavior can be the result of childhood conditions, alcohol intake and personality disorders.
New research from the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Psychiatry Centre show that diagnosing severe personality disorders, evaluating the childhood environment, assessing alcohol consumption and the analysis of the MAOA genotype could provide more accurate methods for assess risk among violent offenders.
New Magnetic Stimulation Offers Noninvasive Treatment for Major Depression
Rush University Medical Center has opened the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic to offer patients a safe, effective, non-drug treatment for major depression. TMS therapy is the first FDA-approved, non-invasive antidepressant device-based treatment clinically proven for treatment of depression.
Science Daily reports that psychiatrists at Rush University Medical Center were among the first to test the technique. Dr. Philip Janicak, professor of psychiatry and lead investigator at Rush for the clinical trials of TMS, helped develop the therapy.
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Study Highlights Need for Substance Abuse Programs Among Highly Educated
There is a common assumption among certain cultures and societies that pursuing a higher education can automatically protect against risky behavior. By making these assumptions, opportunities for prevention and intervention can easily be missed as the higher educated are not immune to developing substance use and abuse problems.
It is important to examine evidence of substance-related problems among those with higher educations. While education tends to decrease the likelihood of substance-related addiction, assuming these individuals are immune can put them at greater risk for developing problems that could go untreated.
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