Psychiatry Archives

Fellowships for outstanding research in drug use and HIV

Fellowships for outstanding research in drug use and HIV are presented by the International AIDS Society and the National Institute on Drug Abuse at AIDS 2010 – The International AIDS Society (IAS) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced the recipients of their second annual joint research fellowships. Recipients of the prestigious awards will receive US$75,000 each to advance the scientific understanding of the linkage between illicit drug use and HIV, while fostering multinational research.

Mutations in presenilin gene may cause early onset Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers discover how mutations in presenilin gene cause early onset Alzheimer’s disease — Findings could pave the way for novel treatments – Researchers have discovered how mutations in the presenilin 1 gene cause early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The finding is reported online in the journal Cell.

Genetic variants may make people susceptible to autism disorder

Autism genome project identifies genetic variants that may make people susceptible to disorder – Autism is caused in part by rare genetic changes called copy number variants (CNVs), revealed by an international consortium of researchers from more than 70 universities, including the University of Utah.

Passive smoking may lead to poorer mental health

Link found between passive smoking and poorer mental health – Second hand smoke exposure is associated with psychological distress and risk of future psychiatric illness, according to new UCL research that suggests the harmful affects of passive smoking go beyond physical health.

College students becoming less empathetic

Empathy: College students don’t have as much as they used to – Today’s college students are not as empathetic as college students of the 1980s and ’90s, a University of Michigan study shows.

Physicians should help depression patients

Physicians should help patients with depression name their problem – Because people with depression often do not recognize they have a problem or are unable to describe their distress, many do not seek treatment. About a quarter of those with major depression are undiagnosed, according to several studies, and fewer than half receive treatment.

Vaccine to help people quit smoking

MSU researchers testing vaccine to help people quit smoking — Novel approach blocks ‘pleasure sensation’ – In a unique twist to a decades-old health crisis, Michigan State University researchers are testing a new vaccine to help people quit smoking and avoid relapses.

Spouses who care for partners with dementia at higher risk of same fate

Older married adults whose spouse has dementia are at significantly higher risk for developing dementia themselves, compared to similar older married adults whose spouse never develops dementia. – Husbands or wives who care for spouses with dementia are six times more likely to develop the memory-impairing condition than those whose spouses don’t have it, according to results of a 12-year study led by Johns Hopkins, Utah State University, and Duke University.

Acupuncture lessens depression symptoms during pregnancy

Acupuncture lessens depression symptoms during pregnancy, Stanford study shows – Acupuncture appears to be an effective way to reduce depression symptoms during pregnancy, according to a first-of-its-kind study from Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.

Autism’s earliest symptoms not in infants under 6 months

Autism’s earliest symptoms not evident in children under 6 months — Condition is characterized by a slow decline rather than an abrupt loss of skills, study says – A study of the development of autism in infants, comparing the behavior of the siblings of children diagnosed with autism to that of babies developing normally, has found that the nascent symptoms of the condition – a lack of shared eye contact, smiling and communicative babbling – are not present at 6 months, but emerge gradually and only become apparent during the latter part of the first year of life.

Anxious peoples tend to over react

People with anxiety disorder less able to regulate response to negative emotions, study shows – People with generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, have abnormalities in the way their brain unconsciously controls emotions, revealed by researchers.

Yoga reduces inflammation, stress, aging

Yoga reduces cytokine levels known to promote inflammation – Regularly practicing yoga exercises may lower a number of compounds in the blood and reduce the level of inflammation that normally rises because of both normal aging and stress, a new study has shown.