|
Enriching the ethics of behavioral health theory, policy and practice |
News
Computer technique could help partially sighted 'see' better
Thousands of people who are partially sighted following stroke or brain injury could gain greater independence from a simple, cheap and accessible training course which could eventually be delivered from their mobile phones or hand-held games consoles, according to a new study.
Categories: Recent News
Brainy worms: Scientists uncover counterpart of cerebral cortex in marine worms
Unexpectedly, scientists have now discovered a true counterpart of the cerebral cortex in an invertebrate, a marine worm. Their findings give an idea of what the most ancient higher brain centers looked like, and what our distant ancestors used them for.
Categories: Recent News
Social networks influence health behaviors
Individuals are more likely to acquire new health practices while living in networks with dense clusters of connections -- that is, when in close contact with people they already know well.
Categories: Recent News
Head start for migraine sufferers
Psychological migraine treatment gives sufferers a confidence boost in their ability to self-manage their symptoms. For severe migraine sufferers, psychological treatments build on the benefits of drug therapy, according to a new study. A comparison of the effects of various treatment combinations for severe migraine - drug therapy with or without behavioral management - shows that those patients receiving the behavioral management program alongside drug therapy are significantly more confident in their ability to use behavioral skills to effectively self-manage migraines.
Categories: Recent News
Link between everyday stress and obesity strenthened with study using an animal model
A new study examined the effects of stress on the meal patterns and food intake of animals exposed to the equivalent of everyday stress on humans. The results suggest that, not only does stress have an impact on us in the short term, it can cause metabolic changes in the longer term that contribute to obesity.
Categories: Recent News
Protecting the lungs against 'collateral damage' from the immune system
A new study shows how our bodies try to minimize potential 'collateral damage' caused by our immune system when fighting infection. The research may also provide new clues to why cigarette smoke is a significant risk factor for developing diseases of the lung such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Categories: Recent News
Insight offered into superstitious behavior
People who believe that fate and chance control their lives are more likely to be superstitious -- but when faced with death they are likely to abandon superstition altogether, according to new research.
Categories: Recent News
Blog Post » Army Suicide Study Kicks into Gear
Dr. Insel provides an update on NIMH's and the U.S. Army's efforts to reduce suicide in the military.
Categories: Recent News
Science News » Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder May Go Undiagnosed in Some Adults with Major Depression
Nearly 40 percent of people with major depression may also have subthreshold hypomania, a form of mania that does not fully meet current diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder, according to a new NIMH-funded study. The study was published online ahead of print August 15, 2010, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Categories: Recent News
Blog Post » Microbes and Mental Illness
Increasing evidence linking strep infection to OCD in children suggests that microbiomics may prove an important research area for understanding and treating mental disorders.
Categories: Recent News
Science News » Experimental Medication Lifts Depression Symptoms in Bipolar Disorder Within an Hour
People with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder experienced relief from symptoms of depression in as little as 40 minutes after an intravenous dose of the anesthetic medication ketamine in a preliminary study; while the patient group was small, this work adds to evidence that compounds in the class to which ketamine belongs have potential as rapid and effective medications for depression, including bipolar depression.
Categories: Recent News
Science News » Imaging Reveals Abnormal Brain Growth in Toddlers with Fragile X
Differences in brain growth patterns between preschool-aged boys with Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, and their healthy peers suggest that the disorder may affect brain development both before and after birth, according to NIMH-funded researchers. In addition, their findings indicate ages 1–5 are an important window for better understanding the effects of FXS on brain development. The study was published May 18, 2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Categories: Recent News
Science News » Drug Substitutes for Training in Rats, Inducing a Memory of Safety
Researchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training. The finding suggests possibilities for new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.
Categories: Recent News
Science News » Early Treatment Decisions Crucial for Teens with Treatment-resistant Depression
An early response to second-course treatment is associated with greater likelihood of remission among teens with hard-to-treat depression, according to recent data from an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print May 17, 2010, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Categories: Recent News
Risk of marijuana's 'gateway effect' overblown, new research shows
New research shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana -- that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults -- may be overblown.
Categories: Recent News
Shorter sleep durations linked to greater risks of mental distress in young adults
Results of a new study show a linear association between sleep durations of less than eight hours and psychological distress in young adults between 17 and 24 years of age. The risk of psychological distress increased by 14 percent for each hour of nightly sleep loss. Those sleeping less than six hours a night were twice as likely to be experiencing distress as average sleepers. Long sleep durations of more than nine hours showed no association with distress.
Categories: Recent News
Scientists identify protein that spurs formation of Alzheimer's plaques
In Alzheimer's disease, the problem is beta-amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the brain and causes nerve cells to weaken and die. Drugs designed to eliminate plaques made of beta-amyloid have a fatal problem: they need to enter the brain and remove the plaques without attacking healthy brain cells. New research, however, suggests that treatments modeled on the blockbuster cancer drug Gleevec could be the solution.
Categories: Recent News
Sensitivity to alcohol odors may indicate a genetic predisposition to alcohol dependence
Prior research had found an association between DNA sequence variations in a gene that encodes parts of the brain's gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptors (the GABRA2 gene) and alcohol dependence. New research has found that the GABRA2 genotype can also affect the brain's reward responses to cues such as alcohol odors.
Categories: Recent News
Text messages reveal the emotional timeline of September 11, 2001
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have been called the defining moment of our time. Thousands of people died and the attacks had huge individual and collective consequences. But less is known about the immediate emotional reactions to the attacks. For a new study, researchers analyzed text messages sent on September 11, 2001 for emotional words. They found spiking anxiety and steadily increasing anger through that fateful day.
Categories: Recent News
Biochemical pathway may link addiction, compulsive eating
Ezlopitant, a compound known to suppress craving for alcohol in humans, was shown to decrease consumption of sweetened water by rodents in a new study.
Categories: Recent News

