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Traumatic stress changes brains of boys, girls differently

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Adolescent ladies with PTSD seem to endure accelerated maturation in a area of the mind that integrates feelings and actions. Credit score: © Gelpi / Fotolia Traumatic stress impacts the brains of adolescent girls and boys in another way, in response to a brand new brain-scanning examine from the Stanford College College of Medication. Amongst youth with post-traumatic stress dysfunction, the examine discovered structural variations between the sexes in a single a part of the insula, a mind area that detects cues from the physique and processes feelings and empathy. The insula helps to combine one's emotions, actions and several other different mind features. The findings can be printed on-line Nov. 11 in  Melancholy and Anxiousness . The examine is the primary to indicate variations between female and male PTSD sufferers in part of the insula concerned in emotion and empathy. "The insula seems to play a key position within the growth of PTSD,...

Role of spleen in prolonged anxiety after stress

New research details those connections, specifically that an abundance of white blood cells in the spleen could be sending messages to the brain that result in behavioral changes long after mice experience repeated stress. "We found that immune cells in the spleen can contribute to chronic anxiety following psychological stress," said Daniel McKim, a graduate student at The Ohio State University and the lead author of the study. "Our findings emphasize the possibility that the immune system represents a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of mental health conditions." The research was part of a series of related studies presented Nov. 13 in San Diego at Neuroscience 2016, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. McKim's co-authors and advisers, John Sheridan and Jonathan Godbout, are working toward explaining the complicated interplay between immunity and stress in animals that have experienced "repeated social defeat" in an...

Depression rates growing among adolescents, particularly girls

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New work highlights a must give attention to the psychological well-being of younger individuals, and match these in peril with psychological well being professionals. Credit score: © Kaspars Grinvalds / Fotolia The speed of adolescents reporting a current bout of medical melancholy grew by 37 p.c over the last decade ending in 2014, with one in six ladies reporting an episode up to now 12 months, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Faculty of Public Well being-led analysis suggests. The findings, revealed on-line Nov. 14 within the journal  Pediatrics , spotlight a must give attention to the psychological well-being of younger individuals and match these in peril with psychological well being professionals. "This exhibits us there are a rising variety of untreated adolescents with melancholy and that we're making few inroads in getting psychological well being care to this inhabitants," says research chief Ramin Mojtabai, MD, PhD, MPH, a profess...

Depression during pregnancy is associated with abnormal brain structure in children

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Researchers have linked maternal melancholy in the course of the second trimester to decreased thickness of the cortex in offspring. Credit score: © Tatyana Gladskih / Fotolia Depressive signs in ladies throughout and after being pregnant are related to decreased thickness of the cortex -- the outer layer of the mind liable for complicated thought and habits -- in preschool-age youngsters, in keeping with a brand new research revealed in  Organic Psychiatry . The findings counsel mom's temper might have an effect on her kid's mind growth at crucial phases in life. "Moms usually wish to do all the things they'll to offer their offspring the very best probability of success in life. They typically be sure to eat properly and to take particular nutritional vitamins," stated John Krystal, Editor of Organic Psychiatry. "This new research now means that one other factor they can do is to be sure that they're handled for his or he...

Marijuana could help treat drug addiction, mental health, study suggests

"Research suggests that people may be using cannabis as an exit drug to reduce use of substances that are potentially more harmful, such as opioid pain medication," said the study's lead investigator Zach Walsh, associate professor of psychology at UBC's Okanagan campus. This comprehensive review of research on medical cannabis use and mental health also found some evidence that cannabis may help with symptoms of depression, PTSD and social anxiety. However, the review concluded that cannabis use might not be recommended for conditions such as bipolar disorder and psychosis. "In reviewing the limited evidence on medical cannabis, it appears that patients and others who have advocated for cannabis as a tool for harm reduction and mental health have some valid points," said Walsh. Walsh and his team reviewed all studies of medical cannabis and mental health, as well as reviews on non-medical cannabis use -- making the review one of the most comprehensi...

When the going gets negative, recruit working memory

The research, published in the  Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology , is one of the first to look at the role of working memory in the context of depression and dispositional optimism. "There is a growing body of research supporting the role of working memory in emotional regulation. We know that those with clinical depression have difficulties in suppressing irrelevant negative information, while those with high working memory are able to ignore negative emotions. But we wanted to investigate whether you see a similar pattern in healthy adults across the lifespan," said Alloway, who conducted the study with UNF graduate student John Horton. The research duo tested over 2,000 nonclinical volunteers, between the ages of 16 and 79 years from a wide demographic range. They were asked questions, like 'I think about how sad I feel.' Participants also responded to questions about their dispositional optimism to find out whether they were typically more optimistic,...

Yogic breathing helps fight major depression, study shows

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The meditation approach studied features a sequence of sequential , rhythm-specific respiration workouts that convey folks right into a deep, restful, and meditative state: gradual and calm breaths alternated with quick and stimulating breaths. Credit score: © Anton Gepolov / Fotolia A breathing-based meditation follow often known as Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped alleviate extreme melancholy in individuals who didn't absolutely reply to antidepressant remedies, studies a brand new research printed within the  Journal of Scientific Psychiatry  from researchers within the Perelman College of Medication on the College of Pennsylvania. The research bolsters the science behind using managed yogic respiration to assist battle melancholy. In a randomized, managed pilot research, led by Anup Sharma, MD, PhD, a Neuropsychiatry analysis fellow within the division of Psychiatry at Penn, researchers discovered important enchancment in signs of melancholy and nerv...