Mental Health Weekly Digest articles from September 2003

Mental Health Weekly Digest archives from September 2003

APOE genotype joins fetal or neonatal malnutrition as a risk for schizophrenia.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- APOE genotype joins fetal or neonatal malnutrition as a risk for schizophrenia. "Five hundred and seventy nine Chinese patients with schizophrenia who met DSMIV criteria for the disorder were...

Structure of schizophrenia-linked gene characterized.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The structure of a novel gene with a possible link to schizophrenia development has been characterized. "Schizophrenia is a common neuropsychiatric disorder of uncertain etiology that is believed...

Seropositive schizophrenic patients respond to cerebrospinal fluid filtration.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Therapy resistant schizophrenia or affective spectrum psychosis patients positive for Borna disease virus antibodies do respond to cerebrospinal fluid filtration. "According to previous...

Creatine supplement boosts brain power.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research undertaken by scientists at the University of Sydney and Macquarie University in Australia has shown that taking creatine, a compound found in muscle tissue, as a dietary supplement can give a...

Stress moderation model variables provide clues to surgery-related psychology.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Stress moderation model variables provide clues to surgery-related psychology. According to a study from Australia, "before and after hysterectomy, 60 women completed self-report questionnaires....

Hormone imbalance and anti-thyroid antibodies may cause postpartum depression.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A better understanding of postpartum depression involving hormones and antithyroid antibodies may lead to new therapy directly modifying these changes. "This review examines proposed...

Relationship-based intervention improves maternal sensitivity in young mothers.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Relationship-based intervention improves maternal sensitivity in young mothers. According to recent research from Germany, "Adolescent mothers and their infants are a high-risk group. They are...

Can effective stress management prevent back injuries in nurses?
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A University of Florida nursing researcher is examining whether stress and pain management techniques can prevent work-related injuries and improve the overall health of nursing professionals,...

Balanced outlook helps patients manage depression.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new program, one of only a few of its kind in the nation, is being introduced to help individuals suffering from depression take an active role in managing symptoms of the illness. Medical Mutual...

Agreement signed for use of chemical assay.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Avitar, Inc., (AVR) announced that it has signed a Letter of Understanding with Immunomatrix, Inc., for the exclusive right to utilize Immunomatrix's high sensitivity chemical assay technologies in...

Anorexia afflicting children as young as 8.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Anorexia nervosa is striking children in Australia as young as 8, and in one instance a 4-year-old has been affected by the eating disorder, doctors said recently. The average age of children with...

Folic acid food fortification may not reduce Down syndrome risk.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Folic acid food fortification may not reduce the risk of Down syndrome (also known as trisomy 21). "Polymorphisms of maternal genes responsible for normal folate metabolism may be associated with...

NQO1 gene mutations do not increase schizophrenia risk.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mutations in the NQO1 gene do not influence schizophrenia risk. "NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), an obligate two-electron reductase of quinones, prevents their participation in redox...

Stress can affect heart rate, NK cell numbers, and subsequent cytokine release.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mental stress may alter NK cell number and heart rate, which in turn increases IL-6 and TNF alpha within 45 minutes. According to a study from England, "Associations between natural killer (NK)...

Antidepressant reduces clotting factors after heart attack.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Treating depression in heart attack or chest pain patients reduces the chance of forming dangerous blood clots that can lead to a new heart attack, researchers report. "This study is the first to...

CART peptides can act as psychostimulants and reduce some cocaine effects.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CART peptide acts as a psychostimulant that can be blocked by dopamine, and it also reduces locomotor effects of cocaine. "CART peptide produces behavioral effects when injected into the VTA or...

Phase I clinical testing of ACP-103 complete.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acadia Pharmaceuticals has successfully completed phase I clinical testing of ACP-103, the company's proprietary small molecule 5-HT2A inverse agonist. The study was designed to evaluate the...

Physical activity during pregnancy improves psychological well-being.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Leisure-time physical activity during pregnancy improves psychological well-being. According to a study from Canada, "the psychological benefits of physical exercise have been reported in numerous...

McClanathan named VP for behavioral health firm.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PacifiCare Behavioral Health (PBH), the managed behavioral healthcare subsidiary of Cypress, California-based PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc., (PHS), named Ann McClanathan vice president, sales and...

A treatable form of the psychosis was found in Hashimoto thyroiditis patient.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schizophrenia/psychosis is found in a second person with autoimmune thyroiditis; disease is treatable. According to a study from Germany, "While for some diseases with hyperthyreosis, psychotic...

Illness could cause patients to forget their medication.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients with schizophrenia must take medication regularly to reduce their risk of relapse. But the disease impairs memory, according to new research, meaning these patients may have difficulty in...

Mood stabilizers do not affect GSK-3 beta protein levels or GSK-3 activity.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mood stabilizers and neuroleptics had no effect on glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3-beta protein levels or GSK-3 activity. "Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3-beta protein levels and GSK-3 activity...

Report tells older Americans how to fight sleeplessness.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The sleeplessness affecting about one-third of all older Americans is not a natural part of aging and can lead to serious health disorders, according to Getting Your ZZZZZZZs: How Sleep Affects Health...

Researchers urge advances in methamphetamine abuse treatment.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- People who use or abuse methamphetamine, or meth, do not necessarily need specialized treatment but do need more time in intensive outpatient or residential drug treatment than currently occurs. A...

Parents may be less likely to take their own lives.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Adults with children are less likely to commit suicide than those without, and young kids add an extra layer guarding against suicide for women, new research suggests. Having several children also...

Same-sex twins have lower risk than general population.
September 1, 2003... 2003 SEP 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Twins have a lower risk of suicide compared with the general population, concludes a new study. Researchers in Denmark identified 21,653 same-sex twins born from 1870 to 1930 and established date...

Depression doubles risk of death after surgery.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the largest and longest study of its kind, researchers at Duke University Medical Center have definitively shown what previous studies have hinted at - depression is a strong independent risk factor...

Mind and matter: Mental health affects heart risks.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Several psychological factors can take a toll on heart health, although each factor seems to act at different stages through different mechanisms, research suggests. "Psychological risk factors for...

Obesity, depression team up to increase heart-endangering inflammation.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Obesity and depression may work together to provoke the chronic low-level inflammation associated with atherosclerosis and increased risk of heart disease, according to a new report. Among a large...

Sertraline effective in treating children and adolescents with major depression.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The antidepressant medication sertraline is an effective and well-tolerated short-term treatment for children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD), according to a new study. Up to...

Low self-esteem more damaging than annoying habits.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Squeezing the toothpaste from the wrong end, sneering at her cat, or putting the toilet paper roll on backwards can irk your partner no end, even after decades together. But new or old...

Kids with sick parents have normal rate of illness complaints.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Young people whose parents have HIV or AIDS are no more likely to develop physical symptoms of illness than their peers are, according to a recent study of New York families. "Even after a year of...

Cannabis addiction may be due to location of receptors in reward areas.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cannabinoid receptors are colocated with tyrosine hydroxylase in neurons that are in reward-related structures, thus addiction may be due to stimulation of these areas. According to published...

Money, death of family member top list of America's biggest worries.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Worries about finances and the death of loved ones are the leading causes of anxiety for Americans, according to a new survey conducted by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA). ...

Chromosome 8 genes likely involved in Tourette syndrome development.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genes in chromosome 8 appear to be involved in the development of Tourette syndrome. TS "is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by both motor and vocal tics," scientists in the United...

Hormone replacement therapy enhances verbal memory in middle-aged women.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hormone replacement therapy enhances verbal memory in middle-aged women. "While empirical research to date has generally supported positive effects of estrogen on verbal memory performance in women,...

Infections linked to mental decline in elderly.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infection by several common viruses can significantly increase the risk of dementia in the elderly with cardiovascular disease, according to a new report. Finnish researchers tested 383...

Corticotropin releasing factor levels are high in the locus coeruleus and CSF.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Depressed subjects have elevated corticotropin releasing factor in their cerebrospinal fluid (leading to increased serum cortisol) and in the locus coeruleus; CSF levels decrease with drug and...

Pathways link depression, adiposity, and inflammatory markers.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pathways link depression, adiposity, and inflammatory markers in healthy young adults. "Despite mounting evidence that depression increases risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, little is...

Acne affects teenagers' self-esteem.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new national survey reveals that only one third of parents have sought treatment from a medical professional for their teenagers' acne, despite the fact that the majority of parents were...

Allergic depressed patients have higher electrodermal activity.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Allergic depressed patients have higher electrodermal activity. "Electrodermal hypoactivity is a known phenomenon in depression. For different reasons a hyperactive electrodermal system should be...

Phosphorylated neurofilaments are in degenerating entorhinal cortex.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the elderly, neurodegeneration, but not necessarily degree of Alzheimer disease, is linked with increased phosphorylation of neurofilament proteins in the entorhinal cortex. "A panel of novel...

Women's feelings about sex and menopause encompass social and cultural issues.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women's feelings about sex and menopause encompass social and cultural issues. "Past research finds that after menopause some women experience negative changes such as vaginal dryness, decreased...

Exercise program helps dyslexia, ADHD.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Learning Breakthrough Program, a home-based exercise therapy for people with dyslexia and other learning disorders, is showing results in improving reading, writing, comprehension, and other...

RNA editing of serotonin 2C receptor may play role in depressive disorders.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RNA editing of the serotonin 2C receptor (HTR2C) may play a role in the development of depressive disorders. The importance of HTR2C "in mental disorders has been implicated by studies of...

Estradiol has broad-ranging effects on neurotransmission.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Estradiol has broad-ranging effects on neurotransmission. "Psychoneuroendocrinology is a branch of neuroscience that has been developing since the beginning of the last century, used as a...

Neurotrophic factor gene linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sequence variants of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene are strongly associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. "We evaluated a possible association between the brain-derived...

Maternal stress influences infants' cognitive development and temperament.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Maternal stress influences infants' cognitive development and temperament. "Studies in rodents and nonhuman primates indicate that maternal stress during pregnancy can influence the developing...

Link between vision and learning is significant.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- This year alone, 20 million children will return to school with a vision problem that may interfere with their ability to learn, contribute to disciplinary problems, and put them at risk for permanent...

Cytoplasmic inclusions in some neurodegenerative disorders may induce death.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cytoplasmic inclusions found in neurodegenerative disorders can be formed by a complex including Sept4, alpha-synuclein, and synphilin-1, and may induce cell death. According to recent research...

Mild prenatal stress associates with enhanced conditioned fear in adult rats.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mild prenatal stress associates with enhanced conditioned fear in adult rats. "We tested the hypothesis that prenatal stress would enhance conditioned fear in adult rats. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley...

Psychiatric morbidity and post-traumatic symptoms abound after sudden earthquake.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Psychiatric morbidity and post-traumatic symptoms abound after sudden earthquake. "Three months after the devastating Chi-Chi earthquake (magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale) struck the central...

Tau protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid increased in schizophrenia.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The levels of tau protein is increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenia patients. "Increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau protein levels are generally considered to provide a sensitive...

Teen boredom, affluence big factors.
September 8, 2003... 2003 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Boredom and a wad of cash can lead young Americans to substance abuse, according to a Columbia University survey. The study also found that students at smaller schools and those attending religious...

Borderline personality disorder transcends classical gender distinctions.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Borderline personality disorder transcends classical gender distinctions. According to recent research published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry, "a majority of the literature on borderline...

Common factors raise the risk for depressive mood in early pregnancy.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Common factors raise the risk for depressive mood in early pregnancy. "The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of depressive mood in early pregnancy in a national Swedish...

Phosphatase protein levels decreased in brains of bipolar patients.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Phosphoadenosine-phosphate (PAP) phosphatase protein levels were lower in the brains of bipolar patients than in those without bipolar disorder. According to a study from Israel, "Despite...

IL-6 is higher in angry, hostile, depressed men; multivitamin use lowers it.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The psychological coronary risk factors are associated with increased plasma IL-6 in men; multivitamin use lowers it. A study from the United States "examined the relation of plasma IL-6 to anger,...

Schizophrenia susceptibility gene candidate identified.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel schizophrenia susceptibility gene candidate has been identified. "Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by a complex mode of inheritance," scientists in New York...

Calcineurin knockout mice exhibit abnormal behaviors related to schizophrenia.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Conditional calcineurin knockout mice exhibit multiple abnormal behaviors related to schizophrenia. "Calcineurin (CN), a calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, plays a significant...

Positive feelings linked to lower risk of AIDS deaths.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New research links feelings of hope, happiness, and enjoyment with a lower risk of dying from AIDS among men with HIV. The study published in Psychosomatic Medicine is the first to demonstrate a...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor plays role in substance abuse.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels play a key role in susceptibility to substance abuse. BDNF "affects the development of brain neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine and...

One-year data reported on study comparing Reminyl and Aricept.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results from the first 1-year, head-to-head study comparing Reminyl (galantamine hydrobromide) and Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride) - two treatments for mild to moderate Alzheimer disease - are...

Characteristic ALS glutamate toxicity may be avoided with NAALADase inhibitor.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Characteristic ALS glutamate toxicity may be avoided with treatment with a NAALADase inhibitor; motor neurons are protected. "Glutamate toxicity is implicated in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic...

New education resource available for patients, caregivers.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Millions of children, adolescents, and adults who struggle with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) themselves, or know a family member, friend, student, or coworker affected by this common...

Research finds better drug therapy for predisposed children.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Children with psychiatric problems who also have a high risk of developing bipolar disorder respond well to a mood-stabilizing drug, according to a study that is the first to examine the drug's effect...

Ascorbate may be involved in neuron, astrocyte differentiation.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- It appears that ascorbate is involved in nerve functions such as neuronal and astrocyte differentiation and increasing post-synaptic current. "A specific role for ascorbate (AA) in brain...

Xyrem prescriptions continue to increase.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Orphan Medical, Inc., (ORPH) announced that cumulative new prescriptions for Xyrem (sodium oxybate) oral solution reached 2,444 since launch, a 24% increase since June 30, 2003. The 474 new...

Prisons are damaging mental health of inmates/prison staff.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study suggests that many aspects of prison life damage the mental health of both prisoners and prison staff and that a better understanding of the prison environment is needed if prisoners are to be...

FDA accepts resubmission of NDA for EMSAM patch.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mylan Laboratories, Inc., (MYL) and Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (WPI) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing Somerset Pharmaceutical, Inc.'s EMSAM...

Study: Stereotypes prevail in media coverage.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new analysis of the media's coverage of depression, antidepressant drugs, and related issues over the past 15 years shows a significant shift in how newspapers and magazines portray mental health...

Eating problems in young girls rise as self-concept becomes an issue.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eating problems in young girls rise as self-concept becomes an issue. According to recent research from Sweden, "the joint role of self-esteem and unstable self-perceptions for eating problems was...

Nonjudgmental intervention may help binge eaters overcome problem.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A brief nonjudgmental interview and feedback session designed to enhance people's motivation to change their behavior, added to a self-help program, appears to be effective in treating some people with...

Patients diagnosed with dementia could have treatable condition.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An alarming number of people over age 60 could be suffering from a treatable condition that mimics the symptoms of Alzheimer disease. The condition is normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH, and...

Even the psychological stress of a speech can induce many immune changes.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Even the psychological stress of a speech can induce many immune changes; hypertensives have added adverse effects. "This study examined the effects of hypertension and an acute psychological...

FDA approves generic equivalent to Eskalith.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Barr Laboratories, Inc., (BRL) announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Lithium Carbonate Extended-release Tablets USP, 450 mg, the generic...

Birth season influences effect of genetic psychiatric factors.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Birth season influences the effect of genetic factors on psychiatric disorder risk. "Genetic and environmental factors, as well as their interactions, are likely to be involved in psychiatric...

Challenges pervade using zero-to-three diagnostic classifications for infants.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Challenges pervade using zero-to-three diagnostic classifications for infants. "The clinical and practical experiences of a multidisciplinary infant mental health team using the DC: 0-3 Diagnostic...

Genetic factors contribute to children's social behavior.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetic factors contribute to the social behavior of children. Scientists in California conducted a "twin/sibling observational study of children's reactions to the unfamiliar." "The...

The link between neuroticism and post-traumatic stress is not totally clear.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The link between neuroticism and post-traumatic stress is not totally clear. According to published research from Netherlands, "the personality trait of neuroticism has been repeatedly associated...

Abnormal COMT mRNA expression may contribute to schizophrenia symptoms.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Abnormal expression of COMT mRNA may contribute to neurological dysfunction in schizophrenia patients. "Human prefrontal cortical neurons express catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme...

Antipsychotic drugs do not affect dopamine-, GABA-related gene expression in schizophrenia.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antipsychotic drugs do not affect dopamine-, GABA-related gene expression in a murine model of schizophrenia. In a recent study, researchers in the United States "used in situ hybridization...

Saitohin gene mutations not linked to Alzheimer, Parkinson disease.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- STH genotype does not appear to have an effect on the risk of Alzheimer or Parkinson disease. "In a multi-ethnic cohort," scientists in New York "analyzed the Saitohin (STH) gene 'Q7R'...

Stress during pregnancy associates with mix-handedness in offspring.
September 15, 2003... 2003 SEP 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Stress during pregnancy associates with mix-handedness in offspring. "Animal studies suggest that psychological factors may interfere with the development of brain asymmetry during gestation. We...