Sensory, motor and cognitive signals come in from the brain’s cortex and are processed in the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia then send out signals that get routed through the thalamus and back to the cortex. That much has been accepted for decades. But according to a new study, the basal ganglia can also talk…
Category: Psychiatry
Unusual Brain Rhythms Linked to Thinking Problems in Schizophrenia
By studying specially bred mice with specific developmental and cognitive traits resembling those seen in schizophrenia, researchers have provided new evidence that abnormal rhythmic activity in particular brain cells contributes to problems with learning, attention, and decision-making in individuals with that disorder. As reported in the March 5, 2015 online edition of Neuron, when the…
Molecular Profiling Of Ketamine’s Rapid Antidepressant Effect
Metabolite alterations, affected pathways and biomarker candidates for the ketamine treatment response have been identified for the first time, in mice, by scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich. An improved understanding of the molecular events causing the rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine will allow the development of alternative drugs with a…
Molecular Subset Of Schizophrenia Patients With Motor Disorders Found
A new subgroup of patients suffering from schizophrenia, characterized by motor disorders has been identified. Marta Barrachina of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute led the researchers. The study was conducted in collaboration with the research team Mairena Martin at the University of Castilla La Mancha at Ciudad Real and clinical researchers of the Health Park…
What Is Mania?
Mania is a state of abnormally elevated arousal, affect, and energy level, or “a state of heightened overall activation with enhanced affective expression together with lability of affect.” Although mania is often conceived as a “mirror image” to depression, the heightened mood can be either euphoric or irritable; indeed, as the mania intensifies, irritability may…
Benefits of Probiotics May Include Depression Treatment
Probiotics are the latest buzzword in nutrition. They may also someday treat depression. By now I’m sure you have heard and seen the term probiotic countless times in commercials and advertisements. Yogurt, dietary supplement, natural food product, and even cosmetic companies are all promoting probiotic-containing products. What are probiotics, and why are they important? Probiotics…
During Recessions, Do Prescriptions for Mental Illnesses Increase?
During economic recessions, overall public health improves. Sounds wrong, right? Well, think about it. Less work, less stress. Less people die, fewer heart attacks are reported and general morbidity decreases, according to research from the World Health Organization. On the other hand, a recent study from the University of Georgia shows that mental illness might…
How We Learn Under Stress
When someone has to learn new knowledge under stress, the brain uses unconscious rather than conscious learning processes. Now, neuroscience researchers at the Ruhr-Universität in Germany have found out that the switch from conscious to unconscious learning systems is triggered by the functioning of mineralocorticoid receptors. The receptors are activated by stress hormones released by…
Addicts Cravings Have Different Roots In Men And Women
When it comes to addiction, gender matters. A new brain imaging study by Yale School of Medicine researchers suggests stress robustly activates areas of the brain associated with craving in cocaine-dependent women, while drug cues activate similar brain regions in cocaine-dependent men. The study suggests men and women with cocaine dependence might benefit more from…