Category: Psychiatry

Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord is feasible, well-tolerated, and has therapeutic potential for treating depression, according to a pilot clinical trial led by University of Cincinnati researchers at the Lindner Center of HOPE.The research of principal investigator Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, Ph.D., focuses on how the brain-body connection is involved in psychiatric disorders. “We think…

The increased potency and pervasive use of cannabis (marijuana) are associated with an increase in cannabis-related psychiatric disorders, according to a new review article published in the New England Journal of Medicine by the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). It emphasizes the critical necessity for physicians to promptly identify and manage patients exhibiting…

In the United States alone, 16.1 million adults suffer from major depression, which costs $210 billion each year. While the major symptoms of depression are psychological in nature, scientists and clinicians have come to realize that depression is a complicated disease with physical consequences throughout the body. Measuring markers of cellular metabolism, for example, has…

Researchers describe new methods for precisely locating potential biomarkers in teenage brains that are capable of accurately forecasting cognitive growth and mental health problems. Their new study is the first large-scale analysis of its kind, in which researchers analyzed functional network connectivity (FNC) across scans and identified associations with a variety of health measures in…

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock therapy, involves producing a brief seizure in the brain with regulated doses of electricity. While ECT is extremely helpful for certain mental diseases, particularly depression, the reasons for its effectiveness have long perplexed psychiatrists and neuroscientists. University of California, San Diego researchers may now have the solution. Aperiodic…

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers found that lost brain protection systems and overactive inflammation may contribute to the risk of suicide. The results provide additional justification for investigating the potential of anti-inflammatory drugs as a preventive measure, particularly in scenarios of early suicidal ideation detection. “As suicide rates continue to rise, we must develop additional evidence-based strategies…

When people encounter trauma, medication can help prevent or minimize post-traumatic stress disorder by reducing overly powerful memories that produce severe flashbacks and nightmares. However, the treatment is only effective if the pills are taken immediately after a stressful encounter. An enhanced approach that could prevent PTSD-strength memories from ever arising is possible, according to…

For many people, forgetting your keys or having difficulty planning tasks may appear to be a typical part of aging. However, those gaps may be signs of something more serious: mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, which could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, because most people with MCI are unaware of it, they…