Leptin and Alzheimer's disease

Leptin is produced by fat cells and sends a signal to the brain telling us to stop eating when we have had enough food. As well as stopping us eating too much there is increasing evidence that leptin also helps with brain development and function and memory. Scientists from Boston University Medical Center studied 198 people looking into the links between leptin and Alzheimer's disease. They measured the participants' levels of leptin and also gave them regular brain scans to check for Alzheimer's. Over a 12-year follow-up period a quarter of the people with the lowest levels of leptin developed Alzheimer's compared to only 6% of those with the highest levels. Previous research has shown that leptin helps to reduce levels of beta-amyloid which forms the plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6819844/Overeating-prevention-hormone-may-protect-against-Alzheimers.html

Culture vultures are happier and healthier

People who participate in or even just attend cultural activities such as painting, dancing or playing a musical instrument tend to feel healthier and less depressed than people who don't. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology have been carrying out a long-term study of 48,289 people and this is the latest result to emerge from the research. The study found a positive relationship between cultural participation and self-perceived health in both men and women and men (but not women) who participated in cultural activities were less likely to be depressed. The findings held true whatever people's socioeconomic status and when chronic illness, social capital, smoking and alcohol were taken into account. You can find out more about this research at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215160651.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Twins in the classroom

It makes no difference to twins' education whether they are educated separately or together. A Dutch study of 839 identical and 1,164 non-identical twins who were followed between the ages of 3 and 12 found that there was no effect on children's test scores at 12 of sharing a classroom with a twin. 72% of the twins had shared a classroom, 19% were in the same school but different classes while 9% partly shared a classroom. Twins from less-wealthy families were more likely to share a class and those with problems with aggressive behaviour were more likely to be separated. You can find out more about this research at http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BE47K20091215?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Antidepressants and stroke risk

Middle-aged women who take antidepressants may be at an increased risk of stroke. Researchers from Harvard Medical School compared six years' worth of data on 5,500 postmenopausal women who took the drugs with 130,000 people who did not take them. Women taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had a 45% increase in their risk of stroke and a 32% increase in risk of death from any cause and similar results were found for women taking tricyclic antidepressants. However, the overall risk of any one individual suffering a stroke remained very small - 0.3% in a year for women not taking the drugs and 0.4-0.5% for those taking them. The authors of the study advised people to take other steps to reduce their stroke risk such as losing weight, lowering their blood pressure and stopping smoking rather than running the risk of depression which itself can have adverse consequences on physical health. You can find out more about this research at http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=124399&cn=5

Drug use soars in Scotland

The number of drugs being prescribed for depression and dementia has soared in Scotland over the last few years as the country grapples with an ageing population and the global recession. Official figures estimate that 9.7% of people aged 15 and over take medication for depression with the total number of prescriptions rising to more than 4 million for the first time. The proportion of the Scottish population taking antidepressants has more than quadrupled over the last 15 years. Despite this the cost of the drugs fell from £40.4 million in 2007-8 to £35.8 million in 2008-9 as drug companies reduced their prices. The use of drugs for ADHD increased by 6.2% over the same period and the number of drugs for dementia rose by 13.2%. You can find out more about this issue at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/6818966/Recession-sees-antidepressant-use-soar.html

Atomoxetine and social anxiety

It is thought that 12% of people will suffer from social phobia at some point during their lives. Social anxiety disorder can be remarkably debilitating and result in serious functional impairment. The usual method of treating it is with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which increase the amount of serotonin available in the brain. Substances called noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors which have a similar effect on a substance called noradrenalin have shown promise at treating social anxiety in a number of studies and a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego looked at the effectiveness of the drug atomoxetine which has the same effect - although it is usually used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In a study of 27 people with social anxiety disorder - half of whom received atomoxetine and half of whom received a placebo - there was little difference in symptoms between the two group.

Ravindran, Lakshmi N. ... [et al] - A randomized controlled trial of atomoxetine in generalized social anxiety disorder Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology December 2009, 29(6), 561-564

Amisulpride and weight gain

Second-generation antipsychotics are usually seen as an important step forward in the treatment of schizophrenia but can lead to weight gain, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems. One solution for patients at risk of these conditions is to switch to another drug. Amisulpride has been shown to be linked to less weight gain in the past and a team of researchers from Taiwan studied the effect of switching to it in research involving 92 participants half of whom switched to the drug and half of whom stuck with their original medication. The study found that the participants who switched to amisulpride had less cholesterol and insulin resistance, decreased blood pressure and more beneficial cholesterol.

Lin, Chao-Cheng ... [et al] - Improved body weight and metabolic outcomes in overweight or obese psychiatric patients switched to amisulpride from other atypical antipsychotics Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology December 2009, 29(6), 529-536

Politicians and their stalkers

Because of their high profile celebrities are more vulnerable to stalking than other people and politicans are no exception. A team of researchers from Canada surveyed 424 politicians from both the Federal (national) and Provincial (local) assemblies and found that 29.9% had experienced harassment. 87% of those who had experienced harassment thought that the perpetrator had a mental-health problem. Both Federal and Provincial politicians had experienced harassment and overt threats and subsequent physical approach. Harassers who did not overtly threaten but who both telephoned and wrote more frequently were more likely to approach politicians.

Adams, Susan J. ... [et al] - Harassment of Members of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies in Canada by individuals believed to be mentally disordered Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology December 2009, 20(6), 801-814

Stopping sex offenders reoffending - how successful are treatments?

There is growing confidence in the ability of health professionals to predict reoffending by sex offenders but less optimism about the effectiveness of treatment. Researchers from Oxleas NHS Trust in south-east London studied 273 sex offenders who had been in the community for an average of nine years. 128 of them had received community treatment from the Challenge Project programme in south-east London. The study found encouraging results to suggest that higher risk and more psychologically-disturbed people who took part in the cognitive-behavioural treatment on offer were likely to complete the programme with high levels of attendance and were less likely to reoffend and breach their parole orders.

Craissati, Jackie, South, Rebecca and Bierer, Klive - Exploring the effectiveness of community sex offender treatment in relation to risk and re-offending Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology December 2009, 20(6), 769-784

Depression and cognitive deficits

People with depression often have problems thinking - something psychologists call cognitive deficit. However, it is unclear whether these cognitive deficits are due to depression itself or other mental-health problems that can go alongside depression. A team of Finnish researchers looked into this issue in a study of 197 people. 69 of them had depression with no other mental-health problems, 57 had other mental-health problems as well as depression and 71 were healthy controls. The study found no differences between the participants with depression and those who had depression and another mental-health problem. The depressed participants had 'mildly compromised verbal learning' but there were no other cognitive deficits among the participants. People who had received treatment for their depression had more impaired verbal memory and decision making abilities (executive functioning) while those who had become ill at a younger age also had impaired executive functioning.

Castaneda, A.E. ... [et al] - The effect of psychiatric co-morbidity on cognitive functioning in a population-based sample of depressed young adults Psychological Medicine January 2010, 40(1), 29-39

CBT may not be a miracle cure for major mental illness

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is now the dominant form of psychotherapy and is being used in severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder that have traditionally been treated primarily with drugs. A team of researchers from the U.K. and Spain - none of whom declared any connections to the drug industry - reviewed a number of studies into the effectiveness of using CBT to treat schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. They found that CBT was not effective in reducing symptoms in schizophrenia or preventing relapse. It had a small effect in treating major depression but was not effective at preventing relapse in bipolar disorder.

Lynch, D., Laws, K.R. and McKenna, P.J. - Cognitive behavioural therapy for major psychiatric disorder: does it really work? A meta-analytical review of well-controlled trials Psychological Medicine January 2010, 40(1), 9-24

U.K. top of the league - for teenage drug use

A report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has found that the U.K. has the biggest problem of illegal drug use among teenagers. 5% of 15-16 year-olds had taken cocaine with 3% trying crack. 4% of youngsters had taken ecstasy and three out of ten had tried cannabis. There were estimated to be 860,000 cocaine users in England and Wales and 74,000 problem drug users in London.

You can find out more about this study at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6743471/Britain-tops-drug-taking-league.html

CBT for depression in older people

Older people's depression problems are sometimes put down to loneliness and old age but new research suggests that they can benefit from cognitive behaviour therapy in the same way as younger people. Researchers from University College London studied 204 people over 65 who had been diagnosed with depression. Some of them carried on with their regular treatment while others received CBT. The participants answered questions about their depression at the start of the study and after four and ten months of treatment. The study found that after around seven sessions of CBT people had less depression than those in the other group.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=124318&cn=5

Healthy bodies and healthy minds

Mens sana in corpore sano - a healthy mind in a healthy body - was one of the most popular sayings in traditional education. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg and the University of Southern California looked at the data for all 1.2 m Swedish men born between 1950 and 1976 who enlisted for mandatory military service at the age of 18. In every measure of cognitive functioning they analyzed - verbal ability, logical performance, geometric perception and mechanical skills - average test scores increased according to aerobic fitness. However, the link was only to aerobic fitness and not to muscular strength. Boys who got fitter between 15 and 18 showed significantly greater intelligence scores than those who became less healthy over the same time period and the boys who were fittest at 18 were more likely to go to college. Even among identical twins the twins who were fitter were more likely to perform better on intelligence tests.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091207143351.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Depression in USAF personnel

Timothy S. Wells of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio has been studying more than 40,000 U.S.A.F. personnel who served between 2000 and 2006. They found that among those who experienced combat in Iraq and Afghanistan 6% of men and 16% of women developed depression. In those who were deployed to the two countries but who did not fight the figures were 4% and 8% respectively and in people who did not face combat the figures were 2% and 5%. Male 'combat specialists' had a lower risk for depression than those in health care or other supportive positions while men and women who already had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were also more likely to develop depressive symptoms. Other risk factors for depression included younger age, smoking and alcohol dependence.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5BA3XW20091211?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Grumpy men and glowing women - gender and facial expressions

Researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Quebec have been looking into the links between gender and facial expression. They showed people a series of androgynous faces and asked them to say whether they were men's or women's. The faces with grumpy expressions - lowered eyebrows and tight lips - were more likely to be identified as male while those with more cheerful expressions were more likely to be identified as female. Another study showed people's faces with a variety of different expressions. Male faces were easier to recognise than female ones while female faces that expressed anger took the longest to identify. Male features such as a high forehead, a square jaw and thicker eyebrows have been linked to perceptions of dominance while more 'female' features such as a rounded baby face with large eyes have been linked to perceptions of people being approachable and warm.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091206110844.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Depression in new mothers

About one in ten people in the U.S. suffers from depression with women being twice as much at risk as men. Depression can affect the way people bring up their children with mothers' and children's development being affected. A team of researchers led by Robin Gaines Lanzi looked into this issue in a study of the first three years of children born to 682 mothers. 396 of the mothers were adolescent, 169 were 'lower resource' and 117 were 'higher resource.' The study found that the adolescent mothers had higher prenatal rates of depression and were more depressed six months after their baby's birth than the older mothers. As depression increased the mothers displayed less warmth and sensitivity to their children, were less responsive and spoke to them less and their children were less likely to seek out warmth from their mothers.

Lanzi, Robin Gaines ... [et al] - Depression among a sample of first-time adolescent and adult mothers Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing November 2009, 22(4), 194-202

Relational aggression and depression

Relational aggression includes things such as spreading rumours, gossip and socially isolating people. It has been linked to poor health and a team of researchers from Hampton University in Virginia looked into the links between relational aggression and depression in a sample of 241 African American college students. Depression is common in this age group and suicide is the leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds. The study found that experiencing relational aggression correlated significantly with depression.

Gomes, Melissa M. ... [et al] - Correlation of the experience of peer relational aggression victimization and depression among African American adolescent females Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing November 2009, 22(4), 175-181

Getting to the bottom of youth violence

Researchers from Texas A&M International University have been looking into some of the risk factors that lead children to become violent. They studied 603 children between the ages of 10 and 14 and their parents. 15% of the children said that they had committed non-violent crimes while 12% said that they had taken part in violent criminal behaviour. None of the risk factors the researchers looked at had particularly strong effects but the strongest ones were depression and having delinquent peers. Other risk factors were parents who psychologically abused their partners, having an antisocial personality, negative relationships with adults and family conflict. Watching violent video games or TV programmes had no effect. Youth violence has actually been going down in the U.S. since the 1960s.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5B622H20091207?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Reading help rewires kids' brains

Scientists from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh have shown that remedial help for children who are poor readers can actually alter their brain structure as well as helping them with their reading. The scientists studied 72 children. 47 were poor readers and 25 were reading at a normal level. Within the group of poor readers 12 did not receive any remedial help and these children formed a control group. The children who received the remedial reading help showed an increase in the quality of their white matter which improved to normal levels. The children who showed the most improvement in their reading also showed the most changes in their white matter.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091209121200.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader