Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Psychiatry for April 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Prenatal Insecticide Exposure Alters Developing Brain
MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF), an organophosphate insecticide, correlates with structural changes in the developing brain, according to a study published online April 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Distinct Neural Networks ID'd in Impulsivity Phenotypes
MONDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Distinct networks are associated with the impulsivity exhibited by adolescents who use drugs or have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published online April 29 in Nature Neuroscience.
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Stress Reduction Ups Health Status in Type 2 Diabetes
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- A mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention is effective at improving health status and lowering levels of depression among patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
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Sleep Measures Do Not Predict Clinical Pain in Fibromyalgia
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with fibromyalgia, spatial extent of pain, pain aftersensation, and negative mood account for approximately one-third of the variance in clinical pain, but sleep measures do not significantly predict pain, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Pain.
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About Half of Teens Who Self-Harm Were Frequently Bullied
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- About half of young adolescents who have self-harmed were frequently bullied, and self-harm among the bullied is more likely in those with mental health problems, a family history of suicide, or a history of being physically abused by an adult, according to a study published online April 26 in BMJ.
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Cancer Worry Linked to Continued Symptom Burden
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Age, fatigue, symptom burden, and risk perception are significantly associated with greater cancer worry three years after completing adjuvant treatment for breast cancer, according to a study published online March 15 in Psycho-Oncology.
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Berries May Slow Cognitive Decline in Older Women
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Flavonoid-rich blueberries and strawberries may reduce cognitive decline in elderly women, according to a study published online April 25 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Modulator of mGluR5 Improves Features of Autism in Mice
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- A selective negative allosteric modulator of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5), GRN-529, improves some behavioral features of autism in mouse models of the disorder, according to an experimental study published in the April 25 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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Accelerated Aging Evident in Cocaine-Dependent Individuals
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of individuals addicted to cocaine show accelerated loss of gray matter over and above the loss due to normal aging, according to a letter published online April 24 in Molecular Psychiatry.
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Hyperalgesia Similar With Drug Therapies for Heroin Addiction
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Heroin-addicted patients treated with methadone or buprenorphine have a heightened sensitivity to pain, and the hyperalgesia does not change over the course of treatment, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Pain.
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Exposure to Violence Wears on Children's DNA
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are exposed to violence have significantly more telomere erosion than their unexposed peers, according to a study published online April 24 in Molecular Psychiatry.
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Anatomic Existence of the G-Spot Reported
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- The anatomic existence of the G-spot has been documented, and it has been identified as a distinguishable anatomic structure located on the dorsal perineal membrane, according to a study published in the May issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
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Resistance Training Aids Memory in Senior Women
WEDNESDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- For senior women with mild cognitive impairment, twice-weekly resistance training (RT) for six months is associated with improved cognition and brain plasticity compared with balance and tone (BAT) exercises, according to a research letter published in the April 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Pain Coping Ability Impacts Lupus Symptomology
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Pain coping strategies can significantly impact the physical symptoms and psychological distress experienced by patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a study published online April 13 in Arthritis Care & Research.
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Efficacy of Serotonin Receptor Inhibitors in Autism Unclear
MONDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- Serotonin receptor inhibitors (SRIs) have a small but significant effect in treating repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but this effect may be due to selective publication of trial results, according to a study published online April 23 in Pediatrics.
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Marijuana and Tobacco Co-Use Common in Young Adults
FRIDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- Half of young adult tobacco smokers also have used marijuana in the last 30 days, and co-use occurs on nearly half of the days either substance is used, according to a study published online April 19 in Addiction Science & Clinical Practice.
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Novel Balanced Chromosome Abnormalities Found in Autism
FRIDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- New genetic variants associated with balanced alterations of chromosome structure have been identified in individuals with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders, many of which are also present in individuals with schizophrenia, according to a study published online April 19 in Cell.
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Computerized Therapy Equal to Usual Care for Depressed Teens
FRIDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents presenting with depressive symptoms, use of a computerized cognitive behavior therapy intervention (SPARX; Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor thoughts) is a potential alternative to usual care, according to a study published online April 19 in BMJ.
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Letting Go of Regret Linked to Healthy Aging
FRIDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- Emotionally healthy aging is associated with an ability to let go of regrets and not dwell on missed opportunities, according to a study published online April 19 in Science.
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Speed, Ecstasy Use in Teens Predicts Future Depression
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Use of meth/amphetamine and ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) among adolescents is associated with an increased risk of subsequent depressive symptoms, according to study published online April 19 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Blood Test IDs Depressive Disorder in Adolescents
THURSDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- A blood test which measures transcriptomic markers may be useful for distinguishing early-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents, according to a study published online April 17 in Translational Psychiatry.
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Higher Daily Physical Activity Reduces Alzheimer's Risk
WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- Higher total daily physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and with a lower rate of cognitive decline, according to research published online April 18 in Neurology.
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Addicted Teens Benefit From 12-Step Meetings Attendance
WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescents with substance use disorder, attendance at 12-step programs is low, although more frequent attendance correlates with greater abstinence, according to a study published online April 16 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
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Depressed Moms May Trigger Infant Night Waking
TUESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal depression and dysfunctional cognition impacts mothers' behavior at bedtime and may affect infant sleep, according to a study published online April 17 in Child Development.
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Chronic Depression Patients Pick Acupuncture Over Counseling
THURSDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with depression can be recruited from primary care to compare acupuncture with counseling and general practitioner (GP) care, according to a study published in the April issue of CNS Neurosciences & Therapeutics.
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Gestational Age Affects Severity of Autism Symptoms
THURSDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Both preterm (<37 weeks) and post-term (>42 weeks) gestational age (GA) children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) display more severe symptoms compared with those born at a normal GA, according to research published online March 16 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
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Antidepressants Don't Worsen Parkinson's Symptoms
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- The antidepressants paroxetine and venlafaxine extended release (XR) reduce depression without worsening motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a study published online April 11 in Neurology.
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Eight-Item Classifier Accurately Distinguishes Autism
WEDNESDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- The use of a short eight-item classifier identifies individuals with autism with high sensitivity and specificity, according to a study published online April 10 in Translational Psychiatry.
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Increased Risk of Fatal Road Crashes on Tax Day in the U.S.
TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) -- There is a small, but significant, increase in fatal road crashes on tax day in the United States, according to a letter published in the April 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Maternal Metabolic Disease Tied to Autism
MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Maternal metabolic conditions (MCs) increase the risk that a child will be born with a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism or developmental delay, according to a study published online April 9 in Pediatrics.
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Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Lowers Health-Related QoL
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) have a substantial burden of illness and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQL) compared to the general population, and their HRQL is compounded by associated comorbidities, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spinal Journal.
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Cognitive Therapy Has Little Effect on Psychosis Risk
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Although cognitive therapy does not reduce the risk of developing psychosis such as schizophrenia for at-risk individuals, it significantly reduces symptom severity for those who do develop psychosis, according to a study published online April 5 in BMJ.
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Immunotherapy Tied to Lower Alzheimer's CSF Biomarkers
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, immunotherapy treatment with the anti-β-amyloid (Aβ) monoclonal antibody bapineuzumab results in lower concentrations of two cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers: total (T)-tau and phosphorylated (P)-tau, according to a study published online April 2 in the Archives of Neurology.
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Early Exposure to Interpersonal Trauma Harms Cognition
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to interpersonal trauma (IPT) in the first years of life is associated with decreased cognitive functioning in childhood, with exposure in the first two years particularly harmful, according to a study published online April 4 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Physical Activity Predicts Functionality in Older Adults
FRIDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- Physically active older adults experience significantly fewer functional limitations than more sedentary older adults, according to a study published online April 5 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Studies Investigate Role of De Novo Mutations in Autism
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- The contribution of de novo mutations to the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is complex, according to three sequencing studies published online April 4 in Nature.
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Esophageal Cancer Surgery Has Lasting Effects on QoL
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term survivors of esophageal cancer surgery who experience postoperative complications continue to experience long-lasting adverse effects on their health-related quality of life (HRQL), according to a study published online April 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Prenatal Antipsychotics Impact Infant Neuromotor Function
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- The use of prescribed antipsychotics during pregnancy may result in significantly lower neuromotor performance in 6-month-old infants, according to a study published online April 2 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Cancer Diagnosis Linked to Higher Immediate Suicide Risk
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- A recent cancer diagnosis is associated with a higher risk of suicide and death from cardiovascular causes, with the risk being highest in the weeks after diagnosis, according to a study published in the April 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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End-of-Life Decline of Cognitive Functions Are Correlated
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- In the last years of life, cognitive abilities decline rapidly, with a strong correlation between different functions; and cognitive activity is associated with cognitive function and predictive of cognitive decline, according to two studies published online April 4 in Neurology.
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Medical Malpractice Claims Incur Substantial Defense Costs
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Defense costs for medical malpractice claims vary among specialties and are higher for claims that result in indemnity payments, according to a letter published in the April 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Alcohol, Drug Use Prevalent Among U.S. Adolescents
WEDNESDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol and drug use is prevalent among teens, with the median age of alcohol and drug abuse occurring during adolescence, according to a study published in the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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Inflammatory Regulation Plays Role in Stress, Illness Link
TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- People under chronic stress have glucocorticoid receptor resistance (GCR), which is linked to increased risk of illness, according to research published online April 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Sleep Apnea, Snorting Linked to Probable Major Depression
TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Sleep apnea and frequent snorting/stopping breathing during sleep, but not snoring, are associated with probable major depression, according to a study published in the April issue of SLEEP.
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School Environment Has Little Effect on Teen Mental Health
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- There is limited evidence that the school environment impacts adolescent mental health, according to a review published online April 2 in Pediatrics.
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Six Developmental Trajectories ID'd in Children With Autism
MONDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- Six longitudinal developmental trajectories have been identified among children with autism, with significant heterogeneity seen in developmental pathways within these trajectories, according to a study published online April 2 in Pediatrics.
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