There are billions of neurons in the brain and at any given time tens of thousands of these neurons might be trying to send signals to one another. Much like a person trying to be heard across a crowded room, neurons must figure out the best way to get their message heard above the din. Researchers have now found two ways that neurons accomplish this, establishing a fundamental mechanism by which neurons communicate.
Results of a study published online March 22 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry show that The Hanen Centre’s More Than Words® Program is more effective than “treatment as usual” in improving the communication skills of toddlers with autism who play with a limited number of toys…
Children with Tourette syndrome could benefit from behavioural therapy to reduce their symptoms, according to a new brain imaging study. Researchers at The University of Nottingham discovered that the brains of children with Tourette syndrome (TS) develop in a unique way – which could suggest new methods of treating the condition…
Could it be the potato salad? Young adults who frequently attend religious activities are 50 percent more likely to become obese by middle age as young adults with no religious involvement, according to new Northwestern Medicine research. This is the first longitudinal study to examine the development of obesity in people with various degrees of religious involvement…
Live videoconferencing, or telepsychiatry, may be an option for evaluating and treating indigenous populations in remote areas of Hawaii and other U.S states and territories, according to presenters who will explore the idea in a workshop at the 2011 APA Annual Meeting in Honolulu…
If it bleeds, it leads, or so the old journalistic adage goes. Not necessarily, say researchers from McGill University and the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital. In a first-of-its kind study that analyzes how cancer is portrayed in Canadian newspapers today versus 20 years ago, positivity and hope seem to be winning out…
2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the Journal of Psychiatric Research, published by Elsevier, the leading publisher of medical, scientific and technical information products and services…
A new study published in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry now implicates one type of molecular switch, microRNAs (miRNAs), in panic disorder. Studies in twin pairs suggest that 40% of the risk for panic disorder is heritable, yet the manner in which genes contribute to the risk for panic disorder is far from clear…
A newly published report reveals that children with epilepsy are more likely to have psychiatric symptoms, with gender a determining factor in their development. Findings showed that girls had more emotional problems, while boys had more hyperactivity/inattention problems and issues regarding peer relationships…
Contrary to intuition, people who suffer from the motor and vocal tics characteristic of Tourette syndrome actually perform behavioral tests of cognitive motor control more accurately and quickly than their typically developing peers do. According to a new study, that enhanced control arises from structural and functional changes in the brain that likely come about from the need to constantly suppress tics.
