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- Bipolar Youth Show Distinct Pattern of Brain Development
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August 28, 2007
Science Update
The first picturess of the brain changing before-and-after the onset of pediatric bipolar disorder reveal a distinct pattern of development, when compared to that seen in healthy youth or in childhood onset schizophrenia. - Suspect Schizophrenia Genes Act Together to Thwart Working Memory
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August 28, 2007
Science Update
Two gene variants implicated in schizophrenia interact to degrade the brain's ability to process information, NIMH researchers have discovered. The interaction impaired working memory — retaining information from moment to moment. Such thinking problems are a hallmark of this severe mental illness that affects about one percent of the population. - Unpleasant Words Trigger Strong Startle Response in People with Borderline Personality Disorder
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August 22, 2007
Science Update
Adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) showed excessive emotional reactions when looking at words with unpleasant meanings compared to healthy people during an emotionally stimulating task, according to NIMH-funded researchers. They also found that people with more severe BPD showed a greater difference in emotional responding compared to people with less severe BPD. - Gene Triggers Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-Like Syndrome in Mice
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August 22, 2007
Press Release
Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit. The study, by NIH-funded researchers, suggests new strategies for treating the disorder. - Behavioral Interventions Effective for Preschoolers with ADHD
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August 15, 2007
Science Update
Two types of early interventions designed to reduce symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschoolers may be effective alternatives or additions to medication treatment, according to a recent NIMH-funded study. - New Studies Search for Clues to Mental Illness in Gatekeepers of Gene Expression
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August 10, 2007
Science Update
What goes awry in the brain to cause mental illness may ultimately be traced to glitches in genes - but not necessarily the parts of genes commonly suspected. Rather than the areas of genes that code for proteins, the secrets may be hidden in mysterious short sequences of genetic material called microRNAs. - Half of Children With Autism May be Diagnosable Soon After Their First Birthday
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August 10, 2007
Science Update
About half of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be diagnosed soon after their first birthday; others with the disorder may appear to develop normally until that age and then falter or regress during their second year, NIMH-funded researchers have discovered. - Parents' Diagnoses Help to Distinguish Childhood Bipolar Disorder from Severe Mood Dysregulation
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August 6, 2007
Science Update
The parents of children who have bipolar disorder are more likely to have bipolar disorder themselves than the parents of children who have severe mood dysregulation (SMD). This finding challenges the notion of some research that suggests SMD is a type of more broadly defined childhood bipolar disorder. - Gene Predicts Better Outcome as Cortex Normalizes in Teens with ADHD
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August 6, 2007
Science Update
Brain areas that control attention were thinnest in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who carried a particular version of a gene in a study by NIMH. - New Technique Pinpoints Crossroads of Depression in Rat Brain
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August 2, 2007
Science Update
NIMH-funded scientists have developed a new high-speed technique for imaging brain activity and used it to pinpoint a circuit signal in rats that may be at the crossroads of depression.