http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientists from the Agency of Science, Technology and Research/Duke-NUS Neuroscience Research Partnership, A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, and the National University of Singapore have made a breakthrough concerning how anxiety is regulated in the vertebrate brain. Their work, published in the journal Current Biology, sheds light on how the brain normally shuts off anxiety and also establishes the relevance of zebrafish as a model for human psychiatric disorders. http://phys.org/news213963345.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:16:05 EST news213963345 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study by a Northeastern University researcher and her colleagues indicates that the size of a certain part of the human brain plays a significant role in determining the breadth of social relationships. Scientists found that the amygdala, a small structure in the temporal lobe of the brain, appears to be important to a rich and varied social life among adult humans. Their finding, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, provides insight into how abnormalities in regions of the brain may affect social behavior in neurologic and psychiatric disorders. http://phys.org/news213382412.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:54:17 EST news213382412 Researchers have shed new light on dopamine's role in the brain's reward system, which could provide insight into impulse control problems associated with addiction and a number of psychiatric disorders. http://phys.org/news211037006.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:23:41 EST news211037006 Scientists at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have identified both common and rare gene variants associated with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. In the largest genetic study of this psychiatric disorder, the researchers found intriguing clues to genes they are subjecting to further investigation, including genes active in neuronal signaling and in shaping interconnections among brain cells. http://phys.org/news209391630.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:40:01 EST news209391630 With few exceptions, jumping genes-restless bits of DNA that can move freely about the genome-are forced to stay put. In patients with Rett syndrome, however, a mutation in the MeCP2 gene mobilizes so-called L1 retrotransposons in brain cells, reshuffling their genomes and possibly contributing to the symptoms of the disease when they find their way into active genes, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://phys.org/news209222325.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:19:26 EST news209222325 An Australian study suggests that children who are sexually abused, especially if it involves penetration, appear to be at higher risk for developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://phys.org/news207851751.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:40:01 EST news207851751 A new study from Rhode Island Hospital found that 33 individuals were responsible for 305 cases of medical intervention to remove foreign bodies that were intentionally swallowed, resulting in more than $2 million in estimated hospital costs. The findings appear in the November issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. http://phys.org/news207809068.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:10:01 EST news207809068 New research from Rhode Island Hospital found that reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein in the brain that encourages growth of neurons, may be a trait marker for individuals with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) (seizures that are psychological in origin). The findings are published in the October 4, 2010, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://phys.org/news205430390.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:00:08 EST news205430390 The case of an elderly woman who had mental problems associated with Alzheimer's disease, but turned out to have treatable limbic encephalitis, is detailed in a Case Report in this week's edition of The Lancet. The case is important because, with rapidly increasing numbers of elderly people worldwide, it is important that when they present with such symptoms they are correctly diagnosed and not just assumed to have Alzheimer's disease (or typical dementia). The Case Report is written by Dr Nathalie Costedoat-Chalumeau, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris, France, and colleagues. http://phys.org/news201461542.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:33:13 EST news201461542 For more than a century, clinical investigators have focused on early life as a source of adult psychopathology. Although the hypothesized mechanisms have evolved, a central notion remains: early life is a period of unique sensitivity during which experience confers enduring effects. http://phys.org/news201344608.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:04:02 EST news201344608 Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — the most common childhood psychiatric condition in the United States — are less likely to finish high school on time than students with other mental-health disorders that often are considered more serious, a large national study by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has found. The study found that nearly one third of students with ADHD, twice the proportion as students with no psychiatric disorder, either drop out or delay high school graduation. http://phys.org/news199466245.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:17:42 EST news199466245 Social competence and behavior problems that are evident at kindergarten and first grade are known to be strong predictors of a child's academic and social functioning. However, findings reported in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggest that psychosocial risk factors can be identified even earlier and can be observed during the transition from preschool to formal schooling. http://phys.org/news197805471.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:10:01 EST news197805471 The method used for a suicide attempt is highly significant for the risk of subsequent successful suicide, reveals a long-term study from Karolinska Institutet. The results may be of help in acute risk assessment following a suicide attempt. http://phys.org/news197715288.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:55:02 EST news197715288 (PhysOrg.com) -- An article published in the June issue of the journal Nature Reviews: Neuroscience provides one of the first comprehensive overviews of the genetic, neural and cognitive bases of a frequently undiagnosed congenital disorder with an array of complex genetic, medical, neurological, behavioral and psychiatric features: the often baffling chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). http://phys.org/news197218264.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:51:25 EST news197218264 Depression is one of the most common forms of psychiatric disorder. It can occur at any time of life and it may affect children and adolescents as well as the elderly. However, depression can usually be suitably managed with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy. http://phys.org/news195482714.html Medicine & Health Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:00:03 EST news195482714 Sex "addiction" is a concept that has had particularly high visibility recently with the publicity associated with Tiger Woods. Persons with addictive or compulsive disorders frequently display an inability to inhibit behaviors once they become maladaptive, despite adverse consequences of their behavior. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a brain region involved in decision-making and behavioral flexibility, and it has been identified as a potential mediator of behavioral inhibition. http://phys.org/news195381783.html Medicine & Health Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:00:01 EST news195381783 Defects in insulin function - which occur in diabetes and obesity - could directly contribute to psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. http://phys.org/news195236580.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:23:29 EST news195236580 According to new research that will receive the Graduate Student Research Award on Saturday, June 5, at the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the ratio between tongue volume and bony enclosure size in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may help dentists calculate oral appliance treatment success. http://phys.org/news194921542.html Medicine & Health Sat, 05 Jun 2010 01:59:23 EST news194921542 A Nobel Prize-winning University of Utah geneticist discovered that bone marrow transplants cure mutant mice who pull out their hair compulsively. The study provides the first cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness, and points toward eventual new psychiatric treatments. http://phys.org/news194181441.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 May 2010 12:18:24 EST news194181441 In a study appearing in the journal PLoS ONE, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) scientists describe finding mathematical patterns underlying the way individuals unconsciously distribute their preferences regarding approaching or avoiding objects in their environment. These patterns appear to meet the strict criteria used to determine whether something is a scientific law and, if confirmed in future studies, could potentially be used to guide diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. http://phys.org/news194117448.html Other Sciences Wed, 26 May 2010 18:32:04 EST news194117448 No one knows how many mothers' and babies' lives have been saved by the obstetrical forceps. This device has been part of the standard equipment of every maternity room for about 250 years. However, a shadow lies over the success story: after the Chamberlen brothers developed the device at the beginning of the 17th century, the brothers and their descendants used it for 3 generations, but kept it a secret from other obstetricians. While thanks to the forceps the Chamberlen family became rich and famous, at the same time women and babies were still dying elsewhere because the device was not available. http://phys.org/news194001617.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 May 2010 10:24:07 EST news194001617 (PhysOrg.com) -- The new technique, in which molecules are used as bait to capture and study large biomolecules, could lead to a new generation of psychiatric medications. http://phys.org/news193062799.html Nanotechnology Fri, 14 May 2010 13:33:48 EST news193062799 Researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College discovered that mice missing a single gene developed repetitive obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors. The genetically altered mice, which behaved much like people with a certain type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), could help scientists design new therapies for this debilitating condition. http://phys.org/news191503728.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:50:23 EST news191503728 Significant advances in the neonatal intensive care have resulted in increased survival rates of children who are born at less than 26 weeks of gestation, so termed "extremely preterm children". Notably, however, improved survival rates have been accompanied by a higher risk for later cognitive, neuromotor, and sensory impairments in these children. http://phys.org/news191239019.html Medicine & Health Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:30:01 EST news191239019 Losing a parent to suicide makes children more likely to die by suicide themselves and increases their risk of developing a range of major psychiatric disorders, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center that is believed to be the largest one to date on the subject. http://phys.org/news191089078.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:30:02 EST news191089078 There is strength in numbers if you want to get your voice heard. But how to do you get your say if you are in the minority? That's a dilemma faced not only by the citizens of a democracy but also by some neurons in the brain. http://phys.org/news189348386.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:00:16 EST news189348386 (Garrison, NY) Troubled children diagnosed with bipolar disorder may fare better with a different diagnosis, according to researchers at The Hastings Center. http://phys.org/news188147995.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:30:01 EST news188147995 A new questionnaire and outcomes measurement scale developed by the department of psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of anxiety. The scale can easily be incorporated into routine clinical practice when treating psychiatric disorders. The study appears online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. http://phys.org/news187351283.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:01:35 EST news187351283 A Mailman School of Public Health study examining the effects of institutional discrimination on the psychiatric health of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals found an increase in psychiatric disorders among the LGB population living in states that instituted bans on same-sex marriage. The study, published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health, is available online. http://phys.org/news186758605.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:50:01 EST news186758605 With the national trend toward quitting smoking flat, psychologists are finding some success with treatments aimed at helping smokers from underserved groups, including racial and ethnic minorities and those with psychiatric disorders. http://phys.org/news185198706.html Medicine & Health Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:20:01 EST news185198706