New insight into brain connectivity
Researchers have developed a new framework that sheds new light on changes in the brain's activity and connections.... Read More...
Schizophrenia
Study explores cognitive function in people with mental illness
Study finds few differences in the profiles of genes that influence cognition between those with severe mental health disorders and the general population.... Read More...
Lifetime suicide risk factors identified
Analyzing previous studies, researchers have identified the effects of individual and environmental risk factors for suicide over a person's lifespan. The risk factors, researchers report, change throughout a person's lifetime.... Read More...
Hyperactive immune system gene causes schizophrenia-like changes
Study implicates C4, an immune system gene, in schizophrenia pathogenesis. ... Read More...
Study finds evidence for reduced brain connections in schizophrenia
Neuroimaging study reveals decreased levels of the SV2A protein in synapses in patients with schizophrenia. The decrease in the protein could underlie the cognitive difficulties experienced by those with schizophrenia and provide new targets for treatment.... Read More...
Long-term medication for schizophrenia is safe
Long-term antipsychotic use does not increase the risk of physical morbidity leading to hospitalization.... Read More...
Veteran study details genetic basis for anxiety, links anxiety and depression
A large genome-wide study of over 200,000 veterans reveals six genetic variants linked to anxiety. Some of the variants have previously been linked to risk factors for PTSD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The findings provide the first convincing molecular explanation for the link between depression and anxiety.... Read More...
Early-life exposure to dogs may lessen risk of developing schizophrenia
Exposure to household pet dogs in the early years of life was associated with a significantly decreased risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life.... Read More...
Could some people with schizophrenia in poorer nations simply have a vitamin deficiency?
An association has been identified between a variant of the NAPRT1 gene, which reduces the body's ability to use Vitamin B3, and schizophrenia. The study reveals there could be a critical interaction between a pregnant woman's prenatal niacin deficiency due to malnutrition and the NAPRT1 variant, which impedes the fetus' ability to use niacin during development. The interaction between the gene and the prenatal environment may predispose the offspring to develop a psychiatric disorder.... Read More...
High-fat maternal diet can cause life-long changes in the fetal brain
When pregnant women consume diets high in polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids, an excess of endocannabinoids is produced which overloads the fetus, and impairs healthy brain development.... Read More...
How artificial intelligence can transform psychiatry
Researchers developed an artificial intelligence system that can detect day-to-day changes in speech that may hint of mental health decline.... Read More...
Small RNAs link immune system and brain cells
Findings show sex-specific baizes in gene expression changes and demonstrate cellular control mechanisms based on microRNA change. The study sheds new light on genetic and neurological changes associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.... Read More...