Science News from 2013
- Community-based Treatments Offset Depression Disparities
- Science Update
Improving care for depression in low-income communities -- places where such help is frequently unavailable or hard to find -- provides greater benefits to those in need when community groups such as churches and even barber shops help lead the planning process, according to a new study.
- NIMH Twitter Chat on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Science Update
Learn about post-traumatic stress disorder by joining NIMH’s Farris Tuma for a Twitter chat.
- Skewed Norms Weaken Case for Early Brain Overgrowth in Autism
- Science Update
Biases in standardized norms used to compare data on head size weakens evidence for early excess brain growth in autism, say NIMH intramural researchers.
- NIH Funds Industry Collaborations to Identify New Uses for Existing Compounds
- Press Release
NIH Funds Industry Collaborations to Identify New Uses for Existing Compounds
- Scan Predicts Whether Therapy or Meds Will Best Lift Depression
- Press Release
Pre-treatment scans of brain activity predicted whether depressed patients would best achieve remission with an antidepressant medication or psychotherapy, in a study that may help mental health treatment decision-making move beyond trial-and-error. The study sought to identify a biomarker that could predict which type of treatment a patient would benefit from based on the state of his or her brain.
- Bullying Exerts Psychiatric Effects Into Adulthood
- Science Update
Once considered a childhood rite of passage, bullying lingers well into adulthood. Bullies and victims alike are at risk for psychiatric problems such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicide when they become adults, reported a study partially funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that was published in the April issue of JAMA Psychiatry.
- Our New Look!
- Science Update
See NIMH’s new website design.
- DoD, VA, and HHS Report on Improving Mental Health Services for Military, Veterans, and Families
- Science Update
A new report from the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services outlines progress made toward improving mental health services for members of the military, veterans, and their families.
- Ketamine Cousin Rapidly Lifts Depression Without Side Effects
- Science Update
NMDA or glutamate receptor modulators as antidepressants have come of age. Human clinical studies demonstrated that ketamine can ward off depressive symptoms within 2 hours of administration and last for several days. Yet serious side effects are attached to this drug, including excessive sleepiness, hallucinations, and substance abuse behavior.
- Twitter Chat on Borderline Personality Disorder
- Science Update
NIMH teams up with Perry D. Hoffman from the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder for a chat about this topic.
- Taming Suspect Gene Reverses Schizophrenia-like Abnormalities in Mice
- Press Release
Scientists have reversed behavioral and brain abnormalities in adult mice that resemble some features of schizophrenia, by restoring normal expression to the gene Neuregulin1, which makes a protein important for brain development.
- Flu in Pregnancy May Quadruple Child’s Risk for Bipolar Disorder
- Press Release
Pregnant mothers’ exposure to the flu has been linked to a nearly 4-fold increased risk for bipolar disorder in their adult child.
- DSM-5 and RDoC: Shared Interests
- Press Release
NIMH and APA have a shared interest in ensuring that patients and health providers have the best available tools and information today to identify and treat mental health issues, while we continue to invest in improving and advancing mental disorder diagnostics for the future.
- Twitter Chat on PANDAS/PANS
- Science Update
NIMH experts discuss childhood rapid-onset OCD during our next Twitter chat on May 8, 2013.
- NIMH Twitter Chat on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Science Update
Looking for more information and the latest findings on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Join NIMH’s Ben Vitiello on Twitter for a chat about this topic.
- Suppressing Protein May Stem Alzheimer’s Disease Process
- Press Release
Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered a potential strategy for developing treatments to stem the disease process in Alzheimer’s disease, by blocking activity of a little-known regulator protein called CD33.
- Fat-free See-through Brain Bares All
- Press Release
Scientists can now study the brain’s finer workings, while preserving its 3-D structure and integrity of its circuitry using a breakthrough method, called CLARITY, that substitutes a clear gel for fat that normally holds the brain’s working components in place, making its normally opaque and impenetrable tissue see-through and permeable.
- New NIH Funding for Two Autism Centers of Excellence
- Press Release
The National Institutes of Health announced new funding for two Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE), bringing to eleven the number of ACE centers now being funded for up to five years.
- Autism Risk Unrelated to Total Vaccine Exposure in Early Childhood
- Science Update
A child’s risk for developing an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not increased by receiving “too many vaccines too soon,” according to a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics.
- NIH Study Shows People with Serious Mental Illnesses Can Lose Weight
- Press Release
Losing weight is challenging for everyone. It can be particularly difficult for someone with a serious mental illness. An NIMH-funded clinical study proves that a modified diet and exercise program can work for people with serious mental illnesses. Participants lost 7 pounds more than controls—and continued to lose weight.
- Prevalence of Parent-reported Autism
- Science Update
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration released a report titled Changes in Prevalence of Parent-reported Autism Spectrum Disorder in School-aged U.S. Children: 2007 to 2011–2012.
- Developing Male Brain Exposed to Less Stress-Protective Protein
- Science Update
Why are rates of schizophrenia and autism higher in males? New evidence implicates an enzyme expressed in the placenta that helps protect the developing fetal brain from adverse effects of maternal stress early in pregnancy.
- Twitter Chat on The Teen Brain—NIMH Experts Discuss Brain Awareness Week
- Science Update
Miss the Twitter chat on the teen brain and Brain Awareness Week? Read the transcript.
- Students Explore the Wonders of the Brain
- Press Release
As part of the National Museum of Health and Medicine museum’s 14th annual Brain Awareness Week celebration, several hundred curious students from the Washington, D.C., area will have a chance to learn about what goes on inside the human brain, through a series of interactive exhibits led by scientists from eight institutes of the National Institutes of Health.
- NIMH’s Dr. Aleksandra Vicentic: Sleep Brain Wave Key to Conquering Fear Memories
- Science Update
An NIMH-funded research study in rats identifies a specific group of cells in the brainstem whose activation during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep helped in eradicating unwanted memories, paving the way for future therapeutics for these disorders.
- NIH-funded Study Finds Community-based Efforts Increase HIV Testing, Prompt Behavior Change
- Press Release
An international study supported by NIMH reported today that community efforts, in comparison to standard clinical testing and counseling, yielded greater testing and lower HIV incidence in high-risk individuals.
- Five Major Mental Disorders Share Genetic Roots
- Science Update
Five major mental disorders share some of the same genetic risk factors, the largest genome-wide study of its kind has found.
- Five Major Mental Disorders Share the Same Genes
- Science Update
Largest study yet into genetics and mental health reveal that the five most common disorders—autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disease, schizophrenia, and major depression—all share similar genetic components.
- Mapping Brain Circuits Provides Clues to Schizophrenia, Earlier Detection of Psychosis
- Science Update
A newly identified brain circuit could lead to earlier detection of psychosis in patients with schizophrenia.
- Differences in On/Off Switches Help Explain How the Human Brain Evolved
- Science Update
A recent NIMH-funded study identified small regions of the genome that are uniquely regulated in human neurons, but not in primate neurons. The findings provide insight into human intellectual function and risk for human diseases, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Science/AAAS Webinar on Translational Neuroscience Research Featuring NIMH’s Carlos A. Zarate, M.D.
- Science Update
Want to know how the latest findings in neuroscience research go from bench to bedside? NIMH and Science/AAAS partnered to produce an informative webinar on translating neurobiological research into treatments.
- NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel Received AMA’s Top Government Service Award
- Science Update
The American Medical Association feted Thomas Insel M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health, with its top government service award.
- Threat Bias Interacts with Combat, Gene to Boost PTSD Risk
- Press Release
Excess attention to avoidance of threat – depending on the situation – can increase risk for PTSD, suggests a new study.
- Long-term Course of ADHD Diagnosed in Preschool Years Can be Chronic and Severe
- Science Update
Long-term Course of ADHD Diagnosed in Preschool Years Can be Chronic and Severe
- Precursor Symptoms to Autism Detected in 6-Month-Old Infants
- Science Update
Some autism symptoms can be seen in 6-month-old infants, possibly leading to even earlier intervention for this disorder.
- HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the State of Mental Health Care in the United States
- Science Update
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discusses state of U.S. mental health care, commemorates JFK’s speech on the topic 50 years ago.
- Imaging Biomarker Predicts Response to Rapid Antidepressant
- Press Release
A boost of activity in visual cortex at the back of the brain, triggered by the processing of emotional information, predicted depressed patients’ responses to a rapid-acting antidepressant.
- Brain Imaging Predicts Psychotherapy Success in Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder
- Science Update
Brain imaging might soon predict which treatment options would work best for patients with social phobia.
- 50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy Sent a Special Message to Congress About the State of Mental Health
- Science Update
Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy addressed Congress about the state of mental health—and changed the way Americans view mental health care.
- Leading Neurobiologist Appointed NIMH Scientific Director
- Press Release
Renowned neurobiologist Susan Amara recently joined NIMH as scientific director of its intramural research program.
- Study Documents that Some Children Lose Autism Diagnosis
- Press Release
An NIH-supported study has confirmed that some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism lose the symptoms and the diagnosis as they grow older.
- Emergency Department Suicide Screening Tool Accurately Predicts At Risk Youth
- Science Update
Time-crunched ER nurses and doctors can use four questions to screen youth at risk for attempting suicide.
- Different Genes, Same Risk Pathway in Schizophrenia
- Science Update
Work by NIMH-supported scientists illustrates the variability of the genes and biology underlying illnesses like schizophrenia.