Mental Health Update Highland fling

I am going on holiday to Scotland next week where - depending on the weather - I will be either walking in the hills, or staring bitterly out of the window watching the rain lash down and contemplating the eighteenth game of Scrabble of the afternoon. I will be back at work on the 6th of July and will start blogging again shortly after that. So, if you follow the blog thank you very much for your interest and normal service will be resumed shortly!

Memory, sleep and genes

Some people seem able to function on very little sleep while others struggle after a sleepless night. Previous research has shown that a gene called PERIOD3 (PER3 for short) affects people's ability to cope with sleep deprivation. People with one variation of the gene are resilient to sleep loss and perform well on cognitive tasks after sleep deprivation, whereas people with the other variation perform more poorly. Researchers from the University of Liege in Belgium and the University of Surrey in the U.K. compared participants in their study with the resilient version of the gene to those with the other version, scanning their brains while they performed a memory task. Each participant was imaged four times: the night before and the morning after a good night's sleep and the night before and the morning after a bad night's sleep. The researchers found that the participants with the resilient gene were able to use other parts of their brains (as well as the ones normally expected to be used in the task) as they worked on the task whereas those with the less resilient version showed reduced activity in the brain structures normally activated by the task with no help from elsewhere in the brain. The people with the less resilient gene also performed worse even after a good night's sleep suggesting that people with this gene variation take a bit of time to get going in the morning.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624153146.htm

Look into my brain, deep into my brain ...

Researchers from the University of Geneva have been looking into the neuroscience of hypnosis. The participants in their study were asked to make a hand movement in response to a cue, then, depending on what signal they heard either make the movement or keep still. Some of the participants were told they could not move their left hand while others were hypnotized into believing it was paralysed. The researchers found that hypnosis produced changes in the prefrontal and parietal areas involved in attention and in the connections between the motor cortex and other parts of the brain. Hypnosis was also associated with an enhanced activation of the precuneus, a brain region involved in memory and self-imagery. The researchers concluded that hypnosis worked by altering people's self-imagery so that they genuinely thought they were hypnotized rather than by affecting their motor circuits and their ability to move.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624153102.htm

U.S. older adults stay sharper longer

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School (in S.W. England), Cambridge University and the University of Michigan compared cognitive performance in older adults from the U.S. and England - and found that those from the U.S. were significantly sharper. The study compared 8,299 Americans with 5,276 English people with both groups taking the same test in the same year. The difference between the two countries was greatest among those over 85 but overall there was a 10-year difference between the two groups with an American 75-year-old performing as well as an English 65-year-old. The average score (out of 24) for English adults over 85 was 8.3 compared to 10.1 for the U.S. participants. For the younger section of the sample (65-74) the average English score was 12.5 compared to 13.8 for the U.S. participants. The study also measured other aspects of the participants' health. The American participants were less likely to be depressed than the English ones and it is known that depression is linked to lower cognitive function. They were also less likely to drink (50% vs 15.5% teetotal) and although they were more likely to have high blood pressure they were also more likely to be being treated for it; untreated high blood pressure can affect cognition. And the American adults tended to retire later which may have kept them sharper for longer.

You can read more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624193504.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624193504.htm

Alzheimer's, risk and race

Alzheimer's disease and milder forms of dementia are associated with an increased risk of death but the risks are the same for both black and white people. Some studies have found that African Americans live longer after being diagnosed with the condition than white people but a study of 1715 older adults by researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found no differences between racial groups. At the start of the study 802 participants had no cognitive problems, 597 had mild impairment, 296 had Alzheimer's disease and 20 had other forms of dementia. Over the 10 years of the study 634 of the participants died. Compared to unaffected people the risk of death was around 50% higher in people with mild cognitive impairment and 200% higher in those with Alzheimer's.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE55M6TE20090623?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Can an afternoon nap make you nicer?

Sadly, once we start full-time work not many of us get a chance for an afternoon nap. However, a study of 36 people by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley suggests that it can have an important effect on the way people perceive other people's emotions. In the study the participants were asked to rate four different categories of facial mood: fear, sadness, anger and happiness. They performed the task twice - once at midday and again at five in the afternoon. In between half the participants were allowed an afternoon nap of 60-90 minutes while the other half had to stay awake. Those people who had had a nap displayed an increased receptiveness to positive facial emotions while those who stayed awake were more receptive to faces depiciting anger and fear. The authors of the study pointed out that those people expected to make such judgements about these matters - for e.g. doctors, soldiers, new parents - are of often the ones who may be most at risk from sleep deprivation.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610091343.htm

The neurology of truth and falsehood

Telling the difference between true and false sounds like a relatively straightforward process but a new neuroimaging study by researchers at the universities of Lisbon and Vita-Salute, Milan, has found that, on a neurological level at least, it is surprisingly complex. In the study participants were asked to read a simple sentence and decide whether it was true or false as the researchers gave them an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. The false statements led to activity in a part of the brain called the right fronto-polar cortex, an area associated with reasoning. The true statements activated regions called the left inferior parietal cortex and the caudate nucleus which deal with analysing language, memory and reward.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123427.htm

What did I come online to do ...?

Amber Johnson has compiled a list of 50 top tips to improve your memory ranging from diet and lifestyle tips to tricks and tools to help you remember things.

You can find Amber's tips at

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2009/06/50-ways-to-make-your-memory-more-like-an-elephants/

New diagnosis tool for Alzheimer's

Early detection of Alzheimer's disease is crucial and researchers spend a lot of time trying to find tests that will help with diagnosis. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, part of the University of Gothenburg, studied the levels of substances in people's cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and came up with a 'profile' of different indicators for people with Alzheimer's disease (CSF-AD). People with CSF-AD had a risk of deterioration 27 times greater than that of the control group and all the patients with mild cognitive impairment who went on to develop Alzheimer's had the CSF-AD profile. The profile also fitted in well with other factors related to the disease such as the presence of the APOE e4 gene and atrophy of the hippocampus.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618093240.htm

Schizophrenia and cancer

People with schizophrenia are four times more likely to die of cancer than people in the rest of the population. Prof. Frederic Limosin of the University of Reims studied 3,470 people with schizophrenia, analysing the incidence of cancer between 1993 and 2004. He found that 476 of the participants died over the course of the study. The leading cause of death was suicide but the next highest was cancer which killed 74 people - a death rate four times greater than that of the rest of the population. In men the risk of lung cancer was much greater (people with schizophrenia are much more likely to smoke) although the risk of overall cancer death was not significantly higher. In women the overall risk was greater with death due to breast cancer being significantly higher. The higher death rate from breast cancer could be due to delays in diagnosis and failure to comply with treatment among people with schizophrenia.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622064815.htm

White matter and schizophrenia

White matter connects different regions of the brain together and it is known to be disrupted in people who have schizophrenia. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles used a new technique called diffusion tensor imaging to study 61 people between the ages of 21 and 26. The technique uses the movement of water molecules within white matter to chart connections in the brain. 36 of the participants were deemed to be at high risk of developing schizophrenia, based on genetic factors or because they showed early symptoms of it, while the other 25 participants formed a control group. The control group showed a normal increase in the 'integrity' of the white matter in their temporal lobes but the high-risk group did not show this normal developmental pattern. By looking at the integrity of people's white matter at the start of the study the researchers were able to predict how well they would be functioning at work, school and home over the course of the two-year study.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622130748.htm

Binge drinking down in the U.S. - apart from students

In the U.S. the legal age for drinking alcohol was set at 21 in 1984. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis has found that this has led to a substantial reduction in binge drinking. The researchers analyzed data gathered between 1979 and 2006 by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health which surveyed more than 500,000 people. The survey found that binge drinking in young men had dropped substantially since 1979; down by 50% in males between 15 and 17, by 20% in men aged 18-20 and 10% in men aged 21 to 23. However, in women between 15 and 20 binge drinking was unchanged and for women between 21 and 23 it rose by about 40%. Binge drinking was unchanged among men in college but rose more than 40% among female students.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622163033.htm

PET scans boost Alzheimer's diagnosis

PET (positron emission topography) scans could significantly improve diagnosis for people in the early stages of dementia. Early diagnosis of dementia is important for providing the best available treatments and therapies in the early course of the disease when they can be most effective. Researchers at the University of Michigan studied 66 people with either mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment who were evaluated by experts using standard neurological brain tests and anatomic brain imaging. The participants then had a PET test which looked for amyloid deposits in their brain (one of the main signs of Alzheimer's disease) and at the way their brains were dealing with the neurotransmitter dopamine. The participants' initial diagnosis changed more than 25% of the time after PET imaging and the PET scans provided images of important signs of disease that other scans missed, such as deposits of amyloid plaque and damage to dopamine nerves.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615144333.htm

Wards face uphill struggle to stub out smoking

On the 1st July, 2008 smoking was banned in psychiatric hospitals in the U.K. However, many hospitals have failed to implement the ban fully - if at all - and there has been a rise in 'secret smoking' by service users. A study of services by the Mental Health Foundation found that 85% of units had not implemented the ban fully. Many units lacked a safe outdoor smoking area for service users and the need to escort patients off the ward was seen to be a considerable drain on resources. Staff felt uncomfortable enforcing the ban and often turned a blind eye to smoking. In wards where the ban had been implemented successfully there had been widespread consultation with staff and patients beforehand, there was support for service users to stop smoking and alternative activities were provided for them.

You can find out more about this study at

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2009/06/22/111898/psychiatric-units-unable-to-implement-smoking-ban.html

XBD173 and anxiety

Benzodiazepines have dominated the anti-anxiety treatment market since the 1960s but can cause side effects such as drowsiness, forgetfulness and clumsiness and, over the long-term, dependency. Serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have also been used to treat anxiety but can take weeks to take effect. German scientists have been experimenting with a new drug called XBD173. In a week-long study involving 70 participants they compared it to a placebo and a benzodiazepine. They found that it produced a fast, anti-anxiety response with no withdrawal symptoms after use.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE55H57N20090618?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

One for the road at college

'Prepartying' involves the consumption of alcohol before going out to the main event of the evening. It is linked to high levels of consumption of alcohol and negative consequences such as blacking out, throwing up and getting into trouble. Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle studied prepartying in 444 college students. They found the most common reasons for it were arriving at a social event already 'buzzing,' saving money and making the night more interesting. Men were more likely to drink to boost their chances with the opposite sex than women. Underage and legal age drinkers (the legal age for drinking in the U.S. is 21) drank before going out to the same extent, and as often, as each other, but underage students had higher blood-alcohol levels.

Pedersen, Eric R., LaBrie, Joseph W. and Kilmer, Jason R. - Before you slip into the night, you'll want something to drink: exploring the reasons for prepartying behavior among college student drinkers Issues in Mental Health Nursing 2009, 30(6), 354-363

Attention, depression and brain structure

People with depression tend to pay more attention to negative things - something that can lead to a vicious circle that can make their condition worse. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong investigated this negative bias in women with and without depression and used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans to look at the differences in brain structure associated with it. Their study of 17 women with and 17 women without depression found that the depressed women paid more attention to negative words and that this bias in their attention was linked to reduced grey-matter concentrations in their right superior frontal gyrus, their right anterior cingulate gyrus and their right fusiform gyrus.

Leung, K.-K. ... [et al] - Neural correlates of attention biases of people with major depressive disorder: a voxel-based morphometric study Psychological Medicine July 2009, 39(7), 1097-1106

Movement problems and psychosis - why it's not always the drugs

Movement problems are often found in people being treated with antipsychotic drugs. However, people with psychosis who have never taken antipsychotics - said to be antipsychotic naive - can also experience problems including dyskinesia (involuntary movements of the tongue, mouth or limbs) and parkinsonism (rigid muscles, slow movement and tremor). Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry in London reviewed 13 studies into abnormal movement in antipsycotic-naive people with psychosis and found that 9% had dyskinesia and 17% parkinsonism.

Pappa, S. and Dazzan, P. - Spontaneous movement disorders in antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode psychoses: a systematic review Psychological Medicine July 2009, 39(7), 1065-1076

Schizophrenia, infection and executive function

People with schizophrenia often suffer from cognitive deficits including executive dysfunction which shows itself in the form of impaired reasoning and problem-solving abilities and is associated with the more severe and disabling forms of the condition as well as poorer functional outcomes. There is increasing evidence that infections caught during pregnancy, in particular toxoplasmosis and influenza, can cause schizophrenia and researchers from Columbia University in New York studied 26 people with schizophrenia to see if there was a link between prenatal infection and poor executive functioning. People who had been exposed to infections in the womb made significantly more errors on the tests and took more time to finish them.

Brown, Alan S. ... [et al] - Prenatal exposure to maternal infection and executive dysfunction in adult schizophrenia American Journal of Psychiatry June 2009, 166(6), 683-690

Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia often suffer from mild-moderate cognitive impairment which often appears before the onset of psychosis, persists throughout people's lives even after their psychosis has gone away and can cause a number of negative effects on people's lives. Researchers from all over Europe, working as part of the European First Episode Trial (EUFEST), studied 498 people with schizophrenia to compare the effectiveness in treating cognitive impairment of the older, first-generation drug haloperidol with the newer second-generation ones amisulpride, olanzapine, quetiapine and ziprasidone. They found that all groups improved but that there was little difference between them and only a weak correlation between improvements in people's cognition and their other schizophrenia symptoms.

Davidson, Michael - Cognitive effects of antipsychotic drugs in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder: a randomized, open-label clinical trial (EUFEST) American Journal of Psychiatry June 2009, 166(6), 675-682