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- Genetic Roots of Bipolar Disorder Revealed by First Genome-Wide Study of Illness
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May 8, 2007
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Press Release
The likelihood of developing bipolar disorder depends in part on the combined, small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself, a new study shows.
- Cell Networking Keeps Brain’s Master Clock Ticking
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May 4, 2007
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Science Update
Each day, a master clock in the brain synchronizes the timing of lesser clocks in cells throughout the body to the rising and setting of the sun, regulating such daily rhythms as sleep, body temperature, eating, and activity. Scientists funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health have now discovered that the secret to this master clock’s robust time-keeping ability lies in the unique way its cells work together.
- Cortex Area Thinner in Youth with Alzheimer’s-Related Gene
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April 24, 2007
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Press Release
A part of the brain first affected by Alzheimer’s disease is thinner in youth with a risk gene for the disorder, a brain imaging study by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has found.
- Gene Knockout Unleashes Manic Mouse
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April 5, 2007
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Science Update
Mice engineered to lack a specific gene showed behaviors similar to human mania in a study funded in part by NIMH; they were hyperactive, slept less, appeared less depressed and anxious, and craved sugar, cocaine and pleasure stimulation.
- Scientists Switch Neurons On and Off Using Light
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April 5, 2007
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Science Update
Researchers have invented a genetically-engineered way to turn the electrical impulses of brain cells on and off with pulses of blue and yellow light — in synch with the split-second pace of real time neuronal activity.
- Adolescent Brains Show Lower Activity in Areas That Control Risky Choices
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March 15, 2007
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Science Update
A new NIMH study could help explain why adolescents are so prone to make risky choices. When contemplating risky decisions, they show less activity in regions of the brain that regulate processes involved in decision-making, compared with adults.
- Tiny, Spontaneous Gene Mutations May Boost Autism Risk
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March 15, 2007
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Press Release
Tiny gene mutations, each individually rare, pose more risk for autism
than had been previously thought, suggests a study funded in part by the National
Institute of Mental Health, a component of the National Institutes of Health.
- Virtual-Reality Video Game Helps Link Depression to Specific Brain Area
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March 1, 2007
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Science Update
Scientists are using a virtual-reality, three-dimensional video game that challenges spatial memory as a new tool for assessing the link between depression and the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub.
- Largest-Ever Search for Autism Genes Reveals New Clues
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February 18, 2007
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Press Release
The largest search for autism genes to date, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has implicated components of the brain’s glutamate chemical messenger system and a previously overlooked site on chromosome 11.
- Common Gene Version Optimizes Thinking — but With a Possible Downside
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February 9, 2007
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Press Release
Most people inherit a version of a gene that optimizes their brain’s thinking circuitry, yet also appears to increase risk for schizophrenia, a severe mental illness marked by impaired thinking, scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered.
