Science News from 2018

A new report provides guidance on how to implement universal suicide risk screening of youth in medical settings. The report describes a way for hospitals to address the rising suicide rate in a way that is flexible and mindful of limited resources.

PsychENCODE researchers are discovering the biological mechanisms by which mental illness risk genes work in the human brain.

A new study looking at interactions among sleep, energy, activity level, and mood suggests that instability in activity and sleep systems could lead to mood changes. The findings suggest new targets for depression treatment.

Two recent studies add to the evidence that team-based early intervention services are feasible in real-world health care settings and result in improved outcomes for patients.

NIMH-funded scientists have discovered a pattern in the way a brain circuit works that may help predict the onset of psychosis. High levels of chatter, or “hyperconnectivity,” in a circuit involving the cerebellum, thalamus, and cortex emerged as a potential “neural signature” in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study.

Findings from NIMH’s Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) project indicate that team-based coordinated specialty care (CSC) for first episode psychosis (FEP) results in more optimal prescribing of antipsychotics and fewer side effects when compared with typical community care.

A trainee tells her story of how NIMH/NIH training programs for members of underrepresented groups have nurtured her scientific career.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)’s 24th biennial Mental Health Services Research (MHSR 2018) conference held August 1-2, in Rockville, MD, brought together mental health researchers, trainees, consumers, advocates, and mental health care providers to learn about current research findings and discuss new research that might close the gap between what science shows is most effective and what services people actually receive in real-world settings.

During NIMH’s Facebook Live event held in recognition of Suicide Prevention Week, NIMH Director Dr. Joshua Gordon and Dr. Jane Pearson, chair of the Suicide Research Consortium in NIMH’s Division of Services and Intervention Research, discussed some of the most recent suicide prevention research findings from NIMH, warning signs, and prevention strategies.

In a new study, researchers have traced the brain pathways responsible for the effects of light on learning and mood. The findings revealed that these effects are brought about by two different and distinct pathways from the retina into the brain.

The National Institutes of Health announces funding of more than 200 new awards, totaling over $220 million, through the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, an exciting trans-agency effort to arm researchers with revolutionary tools to fundamentally understand the neural circuits that underlie the healthy and diseased brain.

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at a press conference at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual Meeting, National Institutes of Health directors will discuss how NIH is marshalling resources, primarily through the HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative, to come up with short- and long-term solutions for countering the pain and opioid crisis.

NIH BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) has debuted its first data release, which focuses on motor cortex. In a related development, researchers have discovered cellular secrets of key social behaviors – mating, parenting, and aggression – in mouse hypothalamus.

Researchers have identified differences in how the brains of irritable youth react to frustration, findings that could provide new paths for developing treatments for children and adolescents with severe irritability.

Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and Ellen Leibenluft, M.D., chief of the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience and co-chief of the Emotion and Development Branch in the NIMH Intramural Research Programs, have been elected as members of the National Academy of Medicine.

For National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, NIMH Director Dr. Joshua Gordon and Dr. Jane Pearson, chair of the Suicide Research Consortium at the NIMH, are available for interviews on suicide prevention research, trends, and the findings and implications of recent studies.

Research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that a shorter therapy (written exposure therapy) may be just as effective as lengthier first-line treatments for PTSD.

High levels of maternal inflammation during pregnancy have been linked to effects in children, including reduced brain circuit communications and altered long-distance brain wiring at birth, poorer cognitive function at one year – and to reduced impulse control and working memory at two years.

Young people with autism unknowingly tuned up flagging neural connections by playing a picture puzzle game that was rigged by their own brain activity.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), in collaboration with the Mental Health Innovation Network and other federal partners, has released the RISING SUN toolkit to help clinicians, communities, policymakers, and researchers measure the impact and effectiveness of suicide prevention efforts in rural and tribal communities.

Researchers have developed a new prediction model that substantially outperforms existing self-report tools used to predict an individual’s risk of a suicide attempt or dying by suicide.

A new study has revealed more about the organization and function of a brain structure—the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus—that may serve a key role in linking stress detection to the development of adaptive behaviors.

Findings from a new study suggest an electronically delivered HIV prevention intervention may be effective in reducing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexual risk behaviors in young men who have sex with men.

The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) is a dynamic and continually developing framework for studying mental disorders. Now, the RDoC Unit has unveiled changes to the RDoC framework–a reorganization of content within the Positive Valence domain.

A recent clinical trial of a psychotherapy called dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)—which has been shown to be effective in reducing suicide-related behavior in adults—showed that DBT can also reduce suicide attempts and suicidal behavior in adolescents.

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have shown that a therapy-based treatment for disruptive behavioral disorders can be adapted and used as an effective treatment option for early childhood depression.

People infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, known as HIV, display reductions in brain volume compared with people who are not infected with HIV, but now an NIMH-funded study has shed light on the course of this deterioration and shows that antiretroviral treatment started in the first few years of infection may stop these brain changes.

The recent deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain have brought the topic of suicide into everyday conversations. It’s important to know some facts and to know what to do if you think someone might be at risk for self-harm.

Scientists have discovered that bigger human brains are organized differently than smaller ones.

A new study has identified an association between paternally-inherited rare structural variants in noncoding segments of genes and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study adds to a growing body of research describing genetic contributors to ASD.

Researchers have discovered an age-related racial disparity in suicide rates for U.S. youth between the ages of 5 and 17. The findings suggest a need for more research into contributing factors and targeted interventions for children.

On August 1-2, 2018, the NIMH is hosting the 24th Mental Health Services Research (MHSR) Conference with the theme: What’s the Next Big Thing? The conference aims to promote high-priority areas in mental health services research and identify opportunities with potential for significant impact for people with mental disorders.

Researchers have found a way to scan electronic health records that helps identify associations between broad RDoC-based dimensions of behavioral function and biological contributors to mental illnesses.

On May 3, 2018, join NIMH for a Twitter chat on teen depression with experts Dr. Argyris Stringaris and Dr. Ken Towbin.

Three NIMH-funded collaborative research hubs are exploring the factors behind the high suicide rates among American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) youth and designing and testing approaches to preventing suicide.

Depression, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder share some of the same patterns of suspect gene expression – molecular signatures.

NIMH’s Dr. Ann Wagner has been designed as the National Autism Coordinator. In this role, she will play a vital role in ensuring the implementation of national autism spectrum disorder research, services, and support activities across federal agencies.

The National Institutes of Health released to the scientific community an unparalleled dataset from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.

On February 20, 2018, join NIMH for a Twitter chat on Seasonal Affective Disorder with expert Dr. Matthew Rudorfer.

Scientists have deciphered the molecular structure of a widely-prescribed antipsychotic docked in its key human brain receptor. The discovery may hold clues to designing better treatments for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.

Redesigned web section adds interactive tools, sharing features.

A gene crucial for learning can send its genetic material from one neuron to another by employing a strategy commonly used by viruses.

NIMH researchers have developed a brief screening questionnaire for medical professionals to identify youth at risk for suicide.