Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders.
Violence puts wear and tear on kids’ DNA — Exposure to Violence During Childhood is Associated with Telomere Erosion from 5 to 10 Years of Age – Children who have experienced violence might really be older than their years. The DNA of 10-year-olds who experienced violence in their young lives has been found to show wear and tear normally associated with aging, a Duke University study has found.
First blood test to diagnose major depression in teens — Breakthrough test identifies depression and its subtypes with promise of individualized treatment – A breakthrough approach that allows an objective diagnosis of major depression in teens by measuring a specific set of genetic markers found in a patient’s blood. The current method of diagnosing depression is subjective. It relies on the patient’s ability to recount his symptoms and the physician’s ability and training to interpret them.
Mutations in 3 genes linked to autism spectrum disorders – Mutations in three new genes have been linked to autism, according to new studies including one with investigators at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. All three studies include lead investigators of the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC).
PTSD genes identified by UCLA study — Findings could lead to new screenings, targeted therapies — Two genes TPH1 and TPH2 more likely to develop PTSD symptoms – Why do some persons succumb to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while others who suffered the same ordeal do not? UCLA scientists have linked two genes involved in serotonin production to a higher risk of developing PTSD.
Smoking associated with more rapid cognitive decline in men – Smoking in men appears to be associated with more rapid cognitive decline or mental decline. Smoking is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for dementia in the elderly and the number of dementia cases worldwide, estimated at 36 million in 2010, is on the rise and is projected to double every 20 years.
Gestational diabetes and low socioeconomic status raise risk of ADHD in children – Low socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal gestational diabetes together may cause a 14-fold increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in six year olds, revealed by researchers.
Tuning out: How brains benefit from meditation — Meditation may help brain to recover from diseases – Brain imaging study reveals that experienced meditators seem to be able switch off areas of the brain associated with daydreaming as well as psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
MRI study finds that depression uncouples brain’s hate circuit — Depressed people may process feelings of hate differently – Depression frequently seems to uncouple the brain’s “Hate Circuit”. The study entitled “Depression Uncouples Brain Hate Circuit” is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Blood Tests May Hold Clues to Pace of Alzheimer?s Disease Progression – Researchers found a way to predict how quickly patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will lose cognitive function by looking at ratios of two fatty compounds in their blood.
Adolescent binge drinking can damage spatial working memory – Binge or “heavy episodic” drinking is prevalent during adolescence, raising concerns about alcohol’s effects on crucial neuromaturational processes during this developmental period. Heavy alcohol use has been associated with decrements in cognitive functioning in both adult and adolescent populations, particularly on tasks of spatial working memory (SWM).
