Science News from 2008

New Study to Evaluate Ways to Control Metabolic Side Effects of Antipsychotics

Science Update • October 01, 2008

A new NIMH-funded grant will examine ways to control the metabolic side effects associated with the use of the newer atypical antipsychotic medications in children with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Study Examines the Prevalence and Impact of Gastrointestinal Problems in Children with Autism

Science Update • September 24, 2008

A new study examines the characteristics of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) who also have gastrointestinal problems.

New Grants Will Further Understanding of the Biology, Genetics and Treatment of Eating Disorders

Science Update • September 23, 2008

Eating disorders, which include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, are complex and often life-threatening illnesses.

Why “My Get Up and Go Has Got Up and Went”

Science Update • September 15, 2008

If, as the song laments, our "get up and go" fades as we get older, it may stem from aging-related changes in a brain reward circuit.

Gene Variants Force Mental Trade-offs: Efficiency vs. Resiliency

Science Update • September 15, 2008

Mice genetically engineered to have an over active version of a human gene, like their human counterparts, gain in emotional mettle under stress, but at a cost of less efficient thinking, NIMH scientists have discovered.

Newer Antipsychotics No Better Than Older Drug in Treating Child and Adolescent Schizophrenia

Press Release • September 15, 2008

Two newer atypical antipsychotic medications were no more effective than an older conventional antipsychotic in treating child and adolescent schizophrenia and may lead to more metabolic side effects, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

New NIMH Strategic Plan Accelerates Mental Health Research

Science Update • September 08, 2008

Building on the recent rapid advances in understanding the science of brain and behavior, the new National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) strategic plan is designed to maintain momentum in research and transform the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders.

Personality Disorders Prevalent, Under-Treated, in South Africa

Science Update • September 04, 2008

Almost seven percent of South African people age 20 or older have a personality disorder, an umbrella term for several personality types characterized by chronic social dysfunction, a large study funded by NIMH and others reveals.

NIMH Funds Nine Innovative Projects to Pursue Major Challenges

Science Update • September 03, 2008

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded nine exceptionally innovative research projects that hold promise for broad and deep impact on medical science.

Gene Associated with Social Behavior in Animals Has Similar Effects in Human Males

Science Update • September 02, 2008

A gene variant related to the hormone vasopressin appears to be associated with how human males bond with their partners or wives, according to an NIMH-funded study.

NIH Funds Nine Centers to Speed Application of Powerful New Research Approach

Press Release • September 02, 2008

The funding of a network of nine centers across the country that will use high tech screening methods to identify small molecules for use as probes to investigate the diverse functions of cells was announced today by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Family-Focused Therapy Effective in Treating Depressive Episodes of Bipolar Youth

Science Update • September 01, 2008

Adolescents with bipolar disorder who received a nine-month course of family-focused therapy (FFT) recovered more quickly from depressive episodes and stayed free of depression for longer periods than a control group, according to an NIMH-funded study published September 2008 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Serotonin Neurons Critical for Mouse Postpartum Maternal Behavior, Pup Survival

Science Update • August 29, 2008

Mood disorders, including postpartum depression, have long been treated with antidepressants that enhance the mood-regulating brain chemical messenger serotonin.

New Research to Refine Approaches in Psychotherapy

Science Update • August 29, 2008

Psychotherapy is a crucial part of treatment for many mental disorders, but it can be difficult to identify the right approach for an individual.

Childhood Bedwetting Occurred Twice as Often in Adults with Schizophrenia

Science Update • August 29, 2008

Childhood bedwetting occurred twice as often in adults with schizophrenia than in their unaffected brothers and sisters, according to a new study from researchers at NIMH.

Antipsychotic Does Not Harm—and May Improve—Cognitive Skills in Children with Autism

Science Update • August 27, 2008

The atypical antipsychotic medication risperidone (Risperdal) does not negatively affect cognitive skills of children with autism, and may lead to improvements, according to an NIMH-funded study published recently in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

Largest Study of Its Kind Implicates Gene Abnormalities in Bipolar Disorder

Press Release • August 18, 2008

The largest genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder has implicated machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium in brain cells.

A Night’s Sleep Gives Emotional Memories Their Staying Power

Science Update • August 14, 2008

For the first time, researchers have found that following a night's sleep, emotional components of scenes are remembered at the expense of neutral components.

Borderline Personality Disorder: Brain Differences Related to Disruptions in Cooperation in Relationships

Science Update • August 12, 2008

Different patterns of brain activity in people with borderline personality disorder were associated with disruptions in the ability to recognize social norms or modify behaviors that likely result in distrust and broken relationships, according to an NIMH-funded study published online in the August 8, 2008 issue of Science.

Depression Patients’ Brain Circuitry Makes Them Vulnerable to Relapse

Science Update • August 01, 2008

Using brain imaging, NIMH researchers have produced direct evidence that people prone to depression -- even when they're feeling well -- have abnormal mood-regulating brain circuitry.

“Signatures” of Errant Gene Expression in Autism Eyed for Diagnostic Test

Science Update • August 01, 2008

Researchers have launched an effort to detect profiles of gene expression associated with autism that could some day form the basis of a diagnostic test for the disorder.

Mechanism for Postpartum Depression Found in Mice

Press Release • July 30, 2008

Researchers have pinpointed a mechanism in the brains of mice that could explain why some human mothers become depressed following childbirth.

Increased Burden of Rare Genetic Variations Found in Schizophrenia

Press Release • July 30, 2008

People with schizophrenia bear an "increased burden" of rare deletions and duplications of genetic material, genome-wide, say researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Errant Stress/Immune Indicators Detected in Depression-Prone Women’s Sweat

Science Update • July 29, 2008

An experimental skin patch test detected abnormal levels of markers for immune function and stress in the sweat of women with histories of depression, NIMH researchers say.

Health Risks Associated with Certain Antipsychotics Warrant Extra Monitoring

Science Update • July 24, 2008

Some atypical antipsychotics may be more likely than others to cause metabolic and cardiovascular side effects, according to recent analyses using data from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE).

Age-related Decline of ADHD Symptoms Disrupted by Middle School

Science Update • July 21, 2008

Although symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) can last into adulthood, typically they decline as a child gets older.

Newer Antipsychotics No Better Than Older Medications in Reducing Schizophrenia-related Violence

Science Update • July 11, 2008

Antipsychotic medications can reduce the risk of violence among people with schizophrenia, but the newer atypical antipsychotics are no more effective in doing so than older medications, according to a recent analysis of data from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE).

Common Mechanisms May Underlie Autism’s Seemingly Diverse Mutations

Press Release • July 10, 2008

Many of the seemingly disparate mutations recently discovered in autism may share common underlying mechanisms, say researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Abnormal Surge in Brain Development Occurs in Teens and Young Adults with Schizophrenia

Science Update • July 08, 2008

Schizophrenia may occur, in part, because brain development goes awry during adolescence and young adulthood, when the brain is eliminating some connections between cells as a normal part of maturation, results of a study suggest. The new report appears online July 8, 2008 in Molecular Psychiatry.

NIMH Schizophrenia Initiative Featured in Biological Psychiatry

Science Update • July 03, 2008

An NIMH initiative to fill the gap between advances in basic cognitive neuroscience and practical clinical applications for patients with schizophrenia is the topic of the July 1, 2008 issue of Biological Psychiatry.