Science News from 2011

NDAR Federation Creates Largest Source of Autism Research Data to Date

Press Release • December 12, 2011

A data partnership between the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR), and the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) positions NDAR as possibly the largest repository to date of genetic, phenotypic, clinical, and medical imaging data related to research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Suspect Gene Variants Boost PTSD Risk after Mass Shooting

Science Update • December 01, 2011

College students exposed to a mass shooting were 20-30 percent more likely to later develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms if they harbored a risk version of a gene, NIMH-funded researchers have discovered.

HIV Variants in Spinal Fluid May Hold Clues in Development of HIV-related Dementia

Science Update • November 30, 2011

NIMH-funded researchers found two variants of HIV in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of infected study participants that were genetically distinct from the viral variants found in the participants’ blood. The study, published October 6, 2011, in the journal PLoS Pathogens, suggests these CSF variants may help to inform research on the development and treatment of cognitive problems related to HIV infection.

Training Peers Improves Social Outcomes for Some Kids with ASD

Press Release • November 28, 2011

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who attend regular education classes may be more likely to improve their social skills if their typically developing peers are taught how to interact with them than if only the children with ASD are taught such skills. According to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, a shift away from more commonly used interventions that focus on training children with ASD directly may provide greater social benefits for children with ASD.

Neurons Grown from Skin Cells May Hold Clues to Autism

Press Release • November 28, 2011

Potential clues to how autism miswires the brain are emerging from a study of a rare, purely genetic form of the disorders that affects fewer than 20 people worldwide. Using cutting-edge “disease-in a-dish” technology, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have grown patients’ skin cells into neurons to discover what goes wrong in the brain in Timothy Syndrome. Affected children often show symptoms of autism spectrum disorders along with a constellation of physical problems.

Interventions Show Promise in Treating Depression Among Preschoolers

Science Update • November 17, 2011

A new psychosocial approach shows promise in helping preschoolers with symptoms of depression function better and learn to regulate their emotions, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print October 31, 2011, in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Widely Used Screening Tool Shown to Successfully Predict Suicide Attempts

Science Update • November 10, 2011

A widely used suicide screening tool can help determine who is most at risk for suicide by pinpointing the threshold at which a person’s suicidal thinking is severe enough to warrant professional intervention, according to a recent study published online ahead of print November 8, 2011, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

NIH-funded Study Shows Pre-birth Brain Growth Problems Linked to Autism

Press Release • November 08, 2011

Children with autism have more brain cells and heavier brains compared to typically developing children, according to researchers partly funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Our Brains Are Made of the Same Stuff, Despite DNA Differences

Press Release • October 26, 2011

Despite vast differences in the genetic code across individuals and ethnicities, the human brain shows a “consistent molecular architecture.” The finding is from a pair of studies that have created databases revealing when and where genes turn on and off in multiple brain regions through development.

Perinatal Antidepressant Stunts Brain Development in Rats

Press Release • October 24, 2011

Rats exposed to an antidepressant just before and after birth showed substantial brain abnormalities and behaviors, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

National Survey Dispels Notion that Social Phobia is the Same as Shyness

Science Update • October 17, 2011

Normal human shyness is not being confused with the psychiatric anxiety disorder known as social phobia, according to an NIMH survey comparing the prevalence rates of the two among U.S. youth.

Brain Chemical Linked to Joylessness Provides Insight Into Teen Depression

Science Update • October 06, 2011

Depressed teens with anhedonia, or the inability to experience pleasure, have lower levels of the neurotransmitter GABA in a key mood-regulating region of the brain, according to an NIMH-funded study published online October 3, in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Prescribed stimulant use for ADHD continues to rise steadily

Press Release • September 28, 2011

The prescribed use of stimulant medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rose slowly but steadily from 1996 to 2008, according to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Adding Psychotherapy to Medication Treatment Improves Outcomes in Pediatric OCD

Science Update • September 21, 2011

Youth with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) who are already taking antidepressant medication benefit by adding a type of psychotherapy called cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), according to an NIMH-funded study published September 21, 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Survey Assesses Trends in Psychiatric Hospitalization Rates

Science Update • September 19, 2011

Short-term inpatient psychiatric stays increased for youth but declined for older adults between 1996 and 2007, according to an analysis published online ahead of print August 1, 2011, in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Continued Use of Stimulants for ADHD Likely Does Not Increase Risk for Hypertension, but May Affect Heart Rate

Science Update • September 07, 2011

Chronic use of stimulant medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children does not appear to increase risk for high blood pressure over the long term, but it may have modest effects on heart rate, according to follow-up data from the NIMH-funded Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA).

White House Names NIMH a “Champion of Change” for its Suicide Prevention Efforts

Science Update • September 01, 2011

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was named by the White House as a “Champion of Change” on August 25, 2011, for its efforts in supporting research on suicide prevention.

Autism Risk in Younger Siblings May be Higher Than Previously Thought

Science Update • August 23, 2011

Parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face about a 19 percent chance that subsequent children will also develop ASD, according to a study partially funded by NIMH.

Biology, Not Just Society, May Increase Risk of Binge Eating During Puberty

Science Update • August 22, 2011

Biological changes associated with puberty may influence the development of binge eating and related eating disorders, according to a recent study on female rats conducted by NIMH-funded researchers.

New Neurons in Adult Brain Buffer Stress

Science Update • August 16, 2011

New neurons growing in the adult brain help buffer the effects of stress, according to a new study in mice.

HIV-Infected Astrocytes Disrupt Blood-Brain Barrier, Contribute to Cognitive Impairment

Science Update • August 16, 2011

Astrocytes, a type of support cell in the brain, that are infected with HIV show abnormal connections and functioning that disrupt the blood-brain barrier, according to an NIMH-funded study.

NIMH RAISE Project Makes Progress as Teams Refine Research Approaches

Science Update • August 09, 2011

Researchers continue to make progress in the NIMH Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) Project, which seeks to intervene at the earliest stages of illness in order to prevent long term disability. Recent refinements to the two RAISE studies will ensure that RAISE continues efficiently, and generates results that will be relevant to consumers and health care policy makers.

For Minor Depression, Study Shows No Benefit Over Placebo from St. John’s Wort, Citalopram

Science Update • July 22, 2011

An extract of the herb St. John's Wort and a standard antidepressant medication both failed to outdo a placebo in relieving symptoms of minor depression in a clinical trial comparing the three. The results of this study, consistent with earlier research, do not in support the use of medications for mild depression.

Switching Antipsychotics May Reduce Metabolic Risks

Science Update • July 22, 2011

Patients experiencing cardiovascular or metabolic side effects while taking an antipsychotic medication may fare better if they switch to a different medication provided they are closely monitored, according to an NIMH-funded study.

Thinking Globally to Improve Mental Health

Press Release • July 06, 2011

Mental health experts are calling for a greater world focus on improving access to care and treatment for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders, as well as increasing discoveries in research that will enable this goal to be met.

Balance Tips toward Environment as Heritability Ebbs in Autism?

Press Release • July 04, 2011

The largest and most rigorous twin study of its kind to date has found that shared environment influences susceptibility to autism more than previously thought.

Support Program Can Help Caregivers Cope with Relative’s Mental Illness

Science Update • June 27, 2011

A free, nationally available program can significantly improve a family’s ability to cope with an ill relative’s mental disorder, according to an NIMH-funded study published June 2011 in Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.

Drug Boosts Growth Factor to Jump-start Rapid Antidepressant Response

Press Release • June 22, 2011

A study in mice has pinpointed a pivotal new player in triggering the rapid antidepressant response produced by ketamine. By deactivating a little-known enzyme, the drug takes the brakes off rapid synthesis of a key growth factor thought to lift depression, say researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Stress-Defeating Effects of Exercise Traced to Emotional Brain Circuit

Science Update • June 09, 2011

Evidence in both humans and animals points to emotional benefits from exercise, both physical and mental. Now, in recent experiments with mice, scientists have traced the stress-buffering effect of activity to a brain circuit known to be involved in emotional regulation as well as mood disorders and medication effects. The finding is a clue to understanding the neurological roots of resilience, key to developing new means of prevention and treatment for stress-related illness.

Autism Blurs Distinctions Between Brain Regions

Press Release • June 02, 2011

Autism blurs the molecular differences that normally distinguish different brain regions, a new study suggests. Among more than 500 genes that are normally expressed at significantly different levels in the front versus the lower middle part of the brain’s outer mantle, or cortex, only 8 showed such differences in brains of people with autism, say researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.