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A team led by the University of Adelaide's Discipline of Psychiatry  has reviewed and attempted to replicate the findings of the growing body of research showing the types of genes expressed in the brain and surrounding tissues during depression. The findings -- published online ahead of print in the journal  Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews  -- have supported multiple theories of the underlying genetic causes of depression, and have highlighted one gene that until now has gone under the radar in relation to mood disorders. "Depression is much more complex than most people think, and it includes dysfunction at multiple biological levels, from genes to brain regions, and blood circulating through the body," says Professor Bernhard Baune, Head of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide and lead author of the paper. "The state of depression can also change over time, it goes through various phases and it may present with a large range of symptoms. ...

Research led by Betty R. Vohr, MD, director of Women & Infants' Neonatal Follow-Up Program and professor of pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, found that there are certain social and emotional factors that further increase the risk of postpartum depression in mothers of preterm infants. The research, entitled "Social Emotional Factors Increase Risk of Postpartum Depression in Mothers of Preterm Infants," has been published in  The Journal of Pediatrics . Lead author is Katheleen Hawes, PhD, RN, of the Center for Children and Families at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and assistant professor (adjunct) in the Department of Pediatrics at the Alpert Medical School. "We found mothers with a previous mental health disorder and experiencing negative perceptions of herself and her infant at NICU discharge were at increased risk for depression one month post discharge, regardless of the infant's gestational age at bir...

Anilkumar Pillai (left) and Assistant Analysis Scientist Dr. Chirayu D. Pandya. Credit score: Phil Jones AU Senior Photographer They've discovered elevated ranges of transglutaminase 2, or TG2, within the brains of mice experiencing persistent stress -- an animal mannequin of melancholy -- in addition to the prefrontal cortex of depressed individuals who dedicated suicide. Excessive TG2 ranges within the mouse translated to atrophy of neurons, depression-like signs and decreased ranges of TrkB, the receptor for mind derived neurotrophic issue, a brain-nourishing molecule that additionally aids connectivity, stated Dr. Anilkumar Pillai, neuroscientist within the Division of Psychiatry and Well being Habits on the Medical Faculty of Georgia at Augusta College. When scientists overexpressed TrkB, it relieved the depression-like signs of their animal mannequin. "If you do not have sufficient BDNF, then all of the serotonin on the planet w...

The unstoppable rise of the internet has given rise to fears that increasing numbers people are becoming unable to cope without regularly going online. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is the standard test used to measure excessive reliance on the internet, but as Chief Researcher Michael Van Ameringen pointed out: "The IAT was developed in 1998, prior to the widespread use of smartphone technology. In addition, internet use has changed radically over the last 18 years, through more people working online, media streaming, social media, etc. We were concerned that the IAT questionnaire may not have been picking up on problematic modern internet use, or showing up false positives for people who were simply using the internet rather than being over-reliant on it." Professor Van Ameringen's group, from McMaster University in Canada, surveyed 254 students and correlated internet use with general mental health and wellbeing. Thirty-three of the students met screening crite...

The hormone EPO, mostly produced by the kidney, is essential for the production of red blood cells. EPO gives the blood a greater capacity to carry oxygen, and it is this characteristic which makes it attractive as a performance-enhancing drug (the cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to using EPO to improve physical performance). Medically, recombinant EPO is used for the treatment of anemia. Most people think of disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression as conditions which affect mood, but in reality they also affect cognitive function -- how quickly and how well a brain functions. This slow-down in thinking can have serious effects on sufferers, making it more difficult to retain a job, pass an exam, or maintain a relationship. Now a group of Danish Scientists have discovered that EPO can help restore cognitive function in patients suffering from these mental disorders . In two randomized controlled trials, the researchers assessed cognitive function in 79 patients suffe...

"Those working in neuroscience who are interested in neurofeedback often have no way of studying the technique within the broader framework of a feedback system and its theoretical foundations," says Moses Sokunbi, Researcher at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste. "The risk is missing out on potential and innovative applications." In neurofeedback, before understanding how to use fMRI or EEG etc., it is helpful to have a grasp of the logic behind the control systems, which are applied in the most varied of spheres, from cybernetics to electronics. "The basic idea is that system output becomes part of the input," says the researcher. For example, imagine a system in the brain that controls your legs while walking. In addition to sending motor signals for making the walk efficient, the system needs proprioceptive information on the position of the legs, which changes during movement. This information is a product of the mot...

Many parents want more -- saying those topics are not enough -- finds the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. Researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of parents with kids in middle or high school. Two-thirds of parents polled say schools should definitely cover emotional and mental health issues -- which may include such subjects as dealing with depression, stress and bullying -- yet only a third say these topics are currently covered by their child's school. Another 68 percent of parents want to see schools cover basic first aid, and 63 percent say kids should learn CPR. "Most parents today support traditional health education topics like pregnancy prevention, drug abuse and other risk behaviors that used to generate more debate in years past. However, they clearly perceive a gap between what their children need and what they are receiving in the area of mental health education, as well as ...

Pregnant girl having her blood sugar/ glucose checked. Credit score: © Mediteraneo / Fotolia Researchers on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being have found a two-way hyperlink between melancholy and gestational diabetes. Girls who reported feeling depressed through the first two trimesters of being pregnant had been practically twice as more likely to develop gestational diabetes, in response to an evaluation of being pregnant information. Conversely, a separate evaluation discovered that girls who developed gestational diabetes had been extra more likely to report postpartum melancholy six weeks after giving start, in comparison with the same group of girls who didn't develop gestational diabetes. The examine was revealed on-line in  Diabetologia . Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes (excessive blood sugar stage) occurring solely in being pregnant, which if untreated might trigger severe well being issues for mom and toddler. ...

People with epilepsy also had a greater likelihood of experiencing domestic violence and sexual abuse than the general population. The analysis also found that such psychosocial adversities could help explain why individuals with epilepsy are at an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders. "This paper demonstrates that despite all of the advances made over the last 100 years, the experience of discrimination continues to be a significant problem for people with epilepsy," said Dr. Victoria Nimmo-Smith, first author of the Epilepsia study. "We still don't know enough about why people with epilepsy develop depression and anxiety disorders much more often than the general population. Our findings suggest that adverse life events such as discrimination may be important," said senior author Dr. Dheeraj Rai. "We now need longitudinal studies to confirm these findings, because if true, it may be possible to design interventions to hel...

Ricardo E. Jorge, M.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine , Houston, and coauthors tackled that question in a new article published online by  JAMA Psychiatry.  The authors conducted a randomized clinical trial at a university hospital over four years with 24 weeks of follow-up. A total of 94 patients consented and were assigned to receive placebo (n=46) or sertraline (n=48) at a dose of 100 mg/day for 24 weeks or until a mood disorder developed. Results suggest sertraline at a low dose early after TBI appears to be an efficacious strategy to prevent depression after TBI but more study is needed before considering possible changes to treatment guidelines. Limitations to the current study include its small sample size. "Given the prevalence and functional effect of depression among patients with TBI, these findings have profound therapeutic implications. However, although our findings are novel and provocative, recommending a change in the guidelines to treat patients ...