Research
Research Finds Better Ways to Predict Violent Behaviors
New research shows that diagnosing severe personality disorders, evaluating the childhood environment, assessing alcohol consumption, and analyzing the MAOA genotype may provide more accurate means for assessing risk among violent offenders, according to the Finnish research carried out jointly at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Psychiatry Centre.
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New Test May Be Able to Quickly Predict Accuracy of Anti-Depressants for Individuals
Treating major depression is not a quick fix—it is a long, slow journey to restoring mental health. Although many antidepressant medications are available, no single biomarker or diagnostic test exists to predict which one is right for an individual. As a result, for more than half of all patients, the first drug prescribed doesn’t work, and it can take months to figure out what does.
But now, based on the final results of a nationwide study led by UCLA, clinicians may be able to accurately predict within a week whether a particular drug will be effective by using a non-invasive test that takes less than 15 minutes to administer. The test will allow physicians to quickly switch patients to a more effective treatment, if necessary.
New Study Explores Postpartum Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
When a new mother suffers from postpartum depression, she may experience thoughts of committing suicide. A new two-year study found that for women contemplating taking their own lives, the mother-infant relationship and development was a negative experience, accompanied by mood disturbances, low maternal self-esteem, negative perceptions of their effectiveness as parents, and noticeably less responsiveness to their infants’ cues.
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Brain Defect Could Predict Onset of Schizophrenia
In the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of its kind, neurologists and psychiatrists at Columbia University have identified an area of the brain involved in the earliest stages of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.
Activity in this specific region of the hippocampus may help predict the onset of the disease, offering opportunities for earlier diagnosis and for the development of drugs for schizophrenia prevention.
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ADHD Patients Found to Have Chemical Imbalance
New research shows the first definitive evidence that there is a chemical imbalance in the brains of those suffering from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The study, conducted by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York State, has found that ADHD sufferers have deficiencies in the way the brain deals with dopamine, an amino acid involved in regulation of movement, thought, and behavior.
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Preventing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Beta Blockers
By Colin Gilbert
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that results from a person’s exposure to a terrifying event. Military combat, car accidents, or other near-death experiences are often at the root of the PTSD, which manifests itself in nightmares, cold detachment, or intense flashbacks.
Traditional forms of therapy have long been considered the best option for helping people cope with the disorder. Now, however, the medical community has found a surprising new ally in the battle against PTSD. Beta blockers, which are usually used to treat high blood pressure and other heart conditions, are helping some people stop traumatic memories before they start.
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Clinical Depression Causes Early Malfunction in Brain’s Reward Center
Clinically depressed people are less capable of finding pleasure in activities they used to enjoy, a recent study shows. Research published in the August 26 issue of the NeuroReport shows reduced brain function in the reward center of the brain in depressed individuals, when compared to healthy subjects.
To investigate the effects of depression on brain activity, Dr. Elizabeth Osuch, a researcher at the Lawson Health Research Institute, and her team asked 15 healthy subjects and 16 recently depressed subjects to provide a list of their favorite music as well as identify music that they neither liked nor disliked (neutral music).
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Cocaine Found in up to 90 Percent of US Paper Money
Up to 90 percent of US paper money contains traces of cocaine, according to researchers in what is described as the largest, most comprehensive analysis to date of cocaine contamination in banknotes. The scientists found the most cocaine in large cities such as Baltimore, Boston, and Detroit. In fact, they found traces of cocaine in 95 percent of the banknotes analyzed from Washington DC alone.
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Nicotine Addiction Can Cause Darker Skin
A new study determined that African Americans may be more predisposed to developing nicotine addiction than those with paler skin. The research also reveals that obtained darker skin (that obtained from prolonged sun exposure, not through genetics) is especially linked with tobacco addiction. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University also said they identified a statistical correlation between the frequency of smoking and skin color.
Babies Can Remember Traumatic Events for Years
Most people are under the impression that infants younger than six months old do not remember traumatic events that happen to them or to their loved ones; however, this has recently been disproved.
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich of the Jerusalem Post reports that a professor of infant mental health announced to an audience of 300 at a Jerusalem conference that young children, even babies, “remember traumatic events in their bodies” with increases in stress hormones such as cortisol. She said that the event makes a distinct impression on them.
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