Increasing levels of the molecule neurotrophin-3 in the brain can alter dispositional anxiety, the tendency to perceive many situations as threatening, in nonhuman primates, researchers from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found[1]. The molecule, neurotrophin-3, stimulates neurons to grow and make new connections. Hang on a minute though. Before…
Category: Psychiatry
Gene Expression Rhythms Are Disrupted In Schizophrenia Brains
Rhythms in gene expression in the brain are highly disrupted in people with schizophrenia, according to a new University of Pittsburgh-led study. The findings also suggest that researchers studying schizophrenia-linked genes in the brain could have missed important clues that would help understand the disease. “Our study shows for the first time that there are…
Psychostimulants Hinder Sleep And Memory With Little Benefit
Taking nonprescribed psychostimulants may slightly improve a person’s short-term focus but impede sleep and mental functions that rely on it — such as working memory. The use of prescription stimulants by those without medically diagnosed conditions marks a growing trend among young adults — particularly college students seeking a brain boost. “Healthy individuals who use…
Misrepresentation In Abstracts Found In Over Half Of Top Psychiatry Journals
‘Spin’, defined as exaggerating the clinical significance of a particular treatment without the statistics to back it up, is discernible in more than half of clinical trial abstracts published in top psychology and psychiatry journals, a review of relevant research has found. The findings bring concerns about the possible effect this might be having on…
Children Born To Older Parents Tend To Have Fewer Behavior Problems
Children of older parents tend to have fewer externalizing behavior problems than children of younger parents, new research indicates. The researchers also found that parents’ age was unrelated to children’s internalizing behaviors. Researchers at Utrecht University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Erasmus Medical Center, and University Medical Center Groningen looked at externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression) and internalizing…
Cannabidiol Mitigates Isolation-Induced Aggression
Cannabidiol reduces the aggressiveness induced by social isolation, a new study finds. The research, based on a mouse model, was conducted by scientists at the University of São Paulo’s Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP). “Our study shows that cannabidiol can inhibit aggressiveness and that it does so by facilitating the activation of two receptors: the…
Resveratrol Opens Door For New Treatments For Depression, Anxiety
New research has revealed that the plant compound resveratrol, which is found in red wine, displays anti-stress effects by blocking the expression of an enzyme related to the control of stress in the brain, according to a University at Buffalo-led study. The findings shed light onto how resveratrol impacts neurological processes. According to the Anxiety…
Dissociative Disorders Are Nearly as Common as Depression
Dissociative disorders are often said to be rare. But our soon-to-be published analysis of international studies suggest they affect 10-11% of the population at some point in their lives. This makes them nearly as common as mood disorders (such as clinical depression). So what are dissociative disorders, why is diagnosis controversial and how can people…
Children With Autism More Likely To Be Bullied At Home And School
Children with autism are more likely to be bullied by both their siblings and their peers, meaning that when they return from school, they have no respite from victimisation, a new study has found. The researchers also found that children with autism spectrum disorders are more likely to be both the victims and perpetrators of…