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MRI Scans Show Brain Changes in Kids With Schizophrenia
Posted 4 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 4 – Children who are diagnosed with schizophrenia or a number of other psychoses go on to experience a progressively greater than normal loss of gray matter in the frontal lobe region of the brain, new research suggests. These adolescents also experience an above-average spike in the amount of so-called "cerebrospinal fluid" found in the same location, according to a report published in the January issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. In turn, children who experience these brain developments appear to face an increased risk for longer hospitalization, more severe illness and a poorer overall prognosis, the authors of the study noted. "We found progression of gray matter volume loss after a two-year follow-up in patients who ended up with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but not bipolar disease, compared with healthy controls," Dr. Celso Arango, of the Hospital ... Read more
Related support groups: Schizophrenia
US Report: Foster Kids Get High Rate of Psych Meds
Posted 2 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
Federal health officials are failing to monitor how state agencies are doling out powerful psychotropic drugs to foster children, according to a comprehensive investigation released Thursday showing foster kids are prescribed the drugs 2.7 to 4.5 times more than non-foster children and often at much higher doses. Hundreds of foster children are being prescribed five or more of the medications at once, which can have severe side effects including diabetes and suicidal behavior. In some regions, foster children as young as 1 year old were twice as likely to be prescribed the medications, according to a two-year investigation by the Government Accountability Office. The investigation looks at 2008 data from more than 100,000 foster children in Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Texas. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del, requested the investigation's release after media reports of high ... Read more
Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Schizophrenia
Meditation Can 'Turn Off' Regions of the Brain
Posted 22 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 22 – A new study finds that people skilled at meditation seem able to turn off areas of the brain associated with daydreaming and psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Learning more about how meditation works could help advance research into a number of diseases, according to lead author Dr. Judson Brewer, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University. He and his colleagues used functional MRI to assess brain activity in experienced and novice meditators as they performed three different meditation techniques. Regardless of the type of meditation, skilled meditators had decreased activity in the brain's default mode network, which has been linked to attention lapses and disorders such as anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the buildup of beta amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers also found that ... Read more
Related support groups: Schizophrenia, Autism, Psychiatric Disorders
Heavy Meth Use Linked to Schizophrenia
Posted 10 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Nov. 10 – Heavy methamphetamine use may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a new study. It also confirmed previous research showing a possible link between marijuana dependence and schizophrenia. Methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants are the second most common type of illicit drug used worldwide. In this study, researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto analyzed the records of patients who were admitted to California hospitals between 1990 and 2000 with a diagnosis of dependence or abuse for methamphetamine, marijuana, alcohol, cocaine or opioids. People who were hospitalized for meth dependence and who had never been diagnosed with schizophrenia or psychotic symptoms at the start of the study had a roughly 1.5- to three-fold higher risk of later being diagnosed with schizophrenia than patients who used ... Read more
Related support groups: Schizophrenia, Methamphetamine, Desoxyn, Desoxyn Gradumet
Links to Mental Illness Seen in Fetal Brains: Study
Posted 26 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 26 – The genes suspected of causing autism, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses are activated in the developing brain before birth, according to a major genetic analysis. The study by researchers at Yale University also spotted hundreds of genetic differences between males and females still in the womb. "We knew many of the genes involved in the development of the brain, but now we know where and when they are functioning in the human brain," said study senior author Nenad Sestan, an associate professor of neurobiology and researcher for Yale's Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, in a university news release. "The complexity of the system shows why the human brain may be so susceptible to psychiatric disorders." In conducting the study, researchers examined more than 1,300 tissue samples taken from 57 people at different stages of brain development, ranging from 40 ... Read more
Related support groups: Schizophrenia, Autism
Pot Can Mimic Brain Changes Seen in Schizophrenia
Posted 25 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Oct. 25 – Marijuana causes disruptions in concentration and memory similar to those that occur in people with schizophrenia, according to a new study. U.K. researchers measured the electrical activity from hundreds of neurons in the brains of rats given a drug that mimics the effects of cannabis, the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana. The effects of the drug on individual brain regions were subtle but the drug completely disrupted the coordinated brain waves across the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Both of these brain structures are essential for memory and decision-making and play a key role in schizophrenia. Due to the "decoupling" of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, the rats were unable to make accurate decisions while attempting to find their way through a maze, the University of Bristol researchers said. "Marijuana abuse is common among sufferers of ... Read more
Related support groups: Schizophrenia, Cannabis
Aging Brain's Decline May Hinge on a Gene
Posted 25 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Oct. 25 – Researchers have identified a gene variation that seems to have a major effect on the rate at which men experience an age-related decline in intellectual function. The study included 144 experienced U.S. male pilots over the age of 40 who took a Federal Aviation Administration-approved flight simulator test three times over two years. The participants included recreational pilots, certified flight instructors and airline pilots. Using blood and saliva samples from the pilots, the researchers also conducted genetic analyses, looking for the gene that produces a protein called brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). The BDNF gene is considered critical to the development and maintenance of the central nervous system. Levels decline gradually with age, but the findings of this study suggest that a variant of the gene hastens that process. To test their theory, the ... Read more
Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Ischemic Stroke, Schizophrenia, Anorexia nervosa
First Versions of Generic Zyprexa Approved
Posted 24 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 24 – The first generic versions of Zyprexa (olanzapine) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the agency said Monday. Olanzapine has a boxed label warning that the drug can cause death among elderly people who have psychosis due to confusion and memory loss, the FDA said in a news release. Other serious adverse reactions could include high blood sugar, high cholesterol or triglycerides, and weight gain. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects about 1 percent of Americans, with symptoms including hearing voices, paranoia, being suspicious and withdrawing from everyday life. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, includes symptoms such as unusual changes in mood, energy and ability to perform daily tasks. The agency said any generic drugs it approves are clinically equivalent to the ... Read more
Related support groups: Zyprexa, Schizophrenia, Olanzapine, Zyprexa Zydis, Zyprexa Intramuscular
Mixed Results Seen With 'Off-Label' Use of Antipsychotics
Posted 27 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Sept. 27 – Even though off-label use of atypical antipsychotic drugs is common, a new review finds that such use is only effective in a few conditions and can be harmful in others. Also known as "second-generation" antipsychotics, these drugs are approved in the United States for treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. But off-label use – or use not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – of these drugs to treat a number of other conditions is growing. Researchers analyzed findings from 393 clinical studies to gauge effectiveness and uncover harmful side effects when Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Abilify, Geodon, Saphris, Fanapt and Invega were used outside of FDA-approved indications. Off-label use included treatment for behavioral symptoms in dementia, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, post-traumatic ... Read more
Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Insomnia, Seroquel, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Abilify, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Geodon, Zyprexa, Schizophrenia, Risperdal, Seroquel XR, Risperidone, Dementia
Genetic Links Seen Between Bipolar Illness and Schizophrenia
Posted 22 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Sept. 22 – There is a genetic link between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, two common and often disabling brain disorders, a new study indicates. Researchers identified 11 genetic regions, including six that had never been discovered before, which play a role in people's risk for these mental illnesses. The findings, they say, provide new insight into the causes of both conditions. "Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating illnesses affecting millions of people around the world, and existing therapies for these people are ineffective as long-term options," the bipolar study's lead author Dr. Pamela Sklar, chief of the division of psychiatric genomics in the department of psychiatry and a professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said in a news release. "We have been hard at work trying to determine genetic risk for these diseases so that we can ... Read more
Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia
Researchers Find Link Between Epilepsy, Schizophrenia Risk
Posted 20 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Sept. 20 – People affected by epilepsy are nearly eight times more likely than those without it to develop schizophrenia, and those with schizophrenia are also six times more likely to have epilepsy than people who are not schizophrenic, a new study suggests. Researchers in Taiwan say this two-way relationship between the two conditions may be due to genetic, environmental or neurobiological causes. After analyzing information on almost 5,200 patients with schizophrenia and more than 11,500 patients with epilepsy and controls matched for age and sex in both groups, researchers found the prevalence of epilepsy was higher in the schizophrenia patient group at about 7 per 1,000 person-years, compared to just over 1 per 1,000 among those not affected by schizophrenia. Meanwhile the study, published in Epilepsia, showed the prevalence of schizophrenia was about 3.5 per 1,000 ... Read more
Related support groups: Epilepsy, Schizophrenia
Invega Approved as Treatment for Schizophrenia in Adolescents
Posted 13 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
TITUSVILLE, N.J., April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 6 approved Invega (paliperidone) extended-release tablets for the treatment of schizophrenia in adolescents 12 to 17 years of age. The efficacy of Invega to treat schizophrenia in adolescents was established in one six-week clinical study. Invega is an atypical antipsychotic medication and was first approved in the U.S. in December 2006 for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Janssen Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., markets Invega in the U.S. Schizophrenia is a complex, chronic brain disorder that causes a variety of symptoms which can include hearing voices, having fixed false beliefs or delusions, disorganized thinking, and unusual behaviors. It can begin in adolescence or early adulthood, and about one percent of adults in the general population has ... Read more
Related support groups: Schizophrenia, Invega
Schizophrenia Drugs May Spur Subtle Brain Tissue Loss
Posted 10 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 7 – The use of antipsychotic drugs to treat schizophrenia is associated with the loss of a small but measurable amount of brain tissue, a new study finds. It included 211 schizophrenia patients who each underwent an average of three MRI brain scans over 7.2 years, for a total of 674 scans in the study group. The researchers then examined how four factors affected changes in brain volume over time: illness duration, illness severity, substance abuse and treatment with antipsychotic drugs. Longer duration of illness and antipsychotic treatment were both associated with loss of brain tissue. Higher doses of antipsychotics were associated with overall brain tissue loss, reduced gray matter and progressive declines in white matter. Illness severity and substance abuse had little or no association with brain tissue changes, according to the study, published in the February issue ... Read more
Related support groups: Seroquel, Abilify, Lithium, Geodon, Zyprexa, Schizophrenia, Risperdal, Seroquel XR, Risperidone, Saphris, Haldol, Quetiapine, Compazine, Haloperidol, Clozapine
U.S. Sees Slowdown in Spending on Mental Health
Posted 5 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 4 – The amount of money spent on psychiatric drugs in the United States continues to grow but at a much slower rate than in previous years, a new federal government study has found. From 2004 to 2005, spending on psychiatric drugs rose 5.6 percent, compared with an increase of 27.3 percent between 1999 and 2000, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The agency's analysis of health-care costs from 1986 to 2005, the latest year comparable data is available, also found that spending on behavioral health accounts for a decreasing portion of overall health-care costs. Of the $1.85 trillion spent on all health-care services in the United States in 2005, behavioral health spending accounted for 7.3 percent ($135 billion). During the 20 years analyzed in the study, spending for mental health and substance abuse health care grew more slowly ... Read more
Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety and Stress, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Mania, Schizophrenia, Paranoid Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder
For Many, Stigma of Mental Illness Lingers
Posted 24 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 – Persistent efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness haven't succeeded as well as hoped, suggesting that new strategies might be necessary. For decades, a number of organizations have been trying to persuade the public that mental illnesses such as depression, alcohol dependence and schizophrenia are neurobiological disorders, not just people behaving badly, hoping that harsh judgments would subside. Even drug ads unintentionally bolstered the view of the mentally ill as having "lifelong" or permanent problems, with their emphasis on science-focused explanations of the brain mechanisms behind some mental illness, claims a study appearing in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. This study compared people's responses to vignettes describing individuals with mental illness in surveys conducted a decade apart, in 1996 and 2006. ... Read more
Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Anxiety and Stress, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Mania, Schizophrenia, Paranoid Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Postpartum Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder
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