Mental Health Blog

Brief Opioid Therapy May Eliminate Chronic Pain

2012-01-16T19:54:00.007-05:00

According to team leaders, Ruth Drdla-Schutting and Jürgen Sandkühler along with their research team at the MedUni Vienna's Department of Neurophysiology (Centre for Brain Research); opioids can be used for more than temporary pain relief. Apparently, a strong enough dose can actually erase our memory traces of pain in the spinal cord.

At the most basic level, opioids bind to specific sites, called µ-opiate receptors (MOR), which suppresses the stimulation of pain. Characteristically, opioids are only known to alleviate pain while bound to these sites, therefore once treatment is ceased, pain resumes.

Typically, for chronic pain, opioids are administered continuously in moderate doses in order to achieve a permanent binding. This method may result in pain relief, however the treatment is long-term and the cause of pain cannot be eliminated.

To test their theory, that memory traces of pain can be erased with a large enough dose of opioids over a short period, “scientists recreated a surgical procedure in vivo in which pain fibres were stimulated under controlled conditions”.

"Although deep anaesthesia prevents any sensations of pain, we were able to reserve long-term synaptic potentiation in the spinal cord. Despite anaesthesia, there appears to be a memory trace for pain and a pain amplifier has engaged."

“Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons that results from stimulating them synchronously.”

Researchers administered high doses of intravenous opioids over a period of an hour and discovered that this completely removed the long-term potentiation. By doing so, this can reverse the cellular changes that cause pain memories. As such, this could actually rid the memory of the sensation that pain is amplified and longer lasting than in actuality and avoid the development chronic pain syndrome.

If proven to be an effective method of treatment, this could mean more than pain management for many people suffering with chronic pain. Current methods temporarily relieve symptoms of pain and typically require long-term opioid use. This type of treatment could greatly reduce the risk of a rapidly growing form of addiction.

Opioids Erase Memory Traces of Pain
Long-term potentiation
mu Opioid receptor

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MENTAL HEALTH BLOG

2012-01-12T07:26:00.001-05:00

Stress and Depression Linked to Aging

2011-11-09T14:27:00.001-05:00

Research reveals that people that experience recurring episodes of depression or those that are exposed to chronic stress have shorter telomeres in their white blood cells.

“A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes.” Consequently, as we age, telomeres, the outermost part of the chromosome, shorten.

Moreover, research suggests that oxidative stress and inflammation can accelerate this process. The lengths of telomeres are suggestive of our biological age and have been associated with age-related diseases, unhealthy lifestyle, and longevity. Additionally, new studies now show that the shortening of telomeres is also linked to recurrent depression and exposure to chronic stress.

To demonstrate, researchers studied 91 patients with recurrent depression and 451 healthy patients by measuring the telomere length in their white blood cells.

Results showed that telomeres were shorter among the patients with recurrent depression. Also, by examining the participants' stress regulation using a dexamethasone suppression test, researchers again revealed that cortisol levels, indicative of chronic stress, were also associated with shorter telomeres in both depressed participants and healthy ones.

“The fact that depressed patients as a group have shorter telomere lengths compared to healthy individuals can be largely explained by the fact that more depressed people than healthy people have disturbed cortisol regulation, which underscores that cortisol regulation and stress play a major role in depressive disorders” says Mikael Wikgren, a doctoral candidate in the research group.

Accordingly, people could experience age-related complications much earlier in life; therefore properly treating and managing stress and/or depression may significantly impact the quality of life throughout the lifetime.

Depression and Chronic Stress Accelerates Aging
Telomere

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Remembering 9/11

2011-09-11T13:55:00.005-04:00

Although most of us remember 9/11 through media coverage, a vast amount of victims and heroes now remain permanently scarred from witnessing the tragedy first-hand. Many are still physically suffering from their exposure to a mix of fibers, metals, concrete, noxious chemicals and gases. Yet many others are suffering mentally from their experiences on that day and the days following.

“Officially, as many as 10,000 firefighters, police officers and civilians who were at the disaster site here have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Other figures suggest more than 60,000 of the 409,000 who were at Ground Zero have shown elements of PTSD.”

In the past 10 years, there has been more research and attention given to the very real PTSD and the stigma of mental illness and seeking treatment has also diminished somewhat.

So today, many of us are not only remembering where we were or what we were doing on that day, but those that perished, lost their lives trying to save lives and those still affected.

For more on PTSD, visit this past post: http://www.mentalhealthblog.com/2008/09/ptsd-victims-of-911.html

Our faded memories of 9-11

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Infants Trained to Concentrate May Have Improved Abilities

2011-09-04T13:38:00.004-04:00

New research suggests that infants can be trained to improve their concentration skills much earlier than once thought, which, unlike adults, can lead to improvements on unrelated tasks. Such abilities could lead to greater academic success, especially for those infants that may not be expected to thrive.

"Research suggests that differences in attentional control abilities emerge early in development and that children with better attentional control subsequently learn better in academic settings," said Sam Wass of the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck, University of London.

In other words, infants that can more readily concentrate on a specific object while ignoring other distractions are better equipped to learn. To test this theory, researchers observed 42 eleven-month-old infants on 5 occasions over 15 days. The cognitive abilities of each child were tested at the beginning and end of the 15 day period. Half of the babies watched TV, while the other half explored images on a computer screen. The latter half were tested to see how long they could watch a butterfly that flew only as long as they kept their eyes on it, meanwhile other distracting elements appeared on the screen.

Results showed that, “trained infants rapidly improved their ability to focus their attention for longer periods and to shift their attention from one point to another. They also showed improvements in their ability to spot patterns and small but significant changes in their spontaneous looking behavior while playing with toys”.

Consequently, the ability to stay focused on a task or to quickly shift attention can facilitate learning and social interactions, which can significantly impact abilities later in life.

Although the plasticity of the infant brain might allow training to occur at an earlier age, it remains a mystery whether infants might lose their novel skills just as quickly as they were learned.

Infants Trained to Concentrate Show Added Benefits

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Effects of Facebook

2011-08-07T13:58:00.006-04:00

According to Larry D. Rosen, PhD, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills, the effects of social media are becoming more and more visible.

Some of their findings suggest that the more time spent on Facebook is related to a greater tendency toward narcissistic behaviors among teenagers. Also, it has been discovered that young adults that spend excessive amounts of time on Facebook show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies.

Additionally, studies have revealed that excessive daily use of social media can negatively affect the health of children, preteens and teenagers alike as they are more prone to anxiety, depression and other psychological disorders as well as more susceptible to future general health problems.

Furthermore, it is clear that school grades will suffer when spending too much time on Facebook as valuable study time is lost. “Studies found that middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades.”

Besides, some studies suggest that so-called teenage “hyper-social networkers” are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, drug use, fighting and promiscuity.

Consequently, Rosen claims that parents who secretly monitor their child’s social media usage are wasting their time. Instead he suggests that active, but overt, monitoring and open communication about appropriate usage is the key so that when questions or issues arise such as bullying, a child will feel comfortable communicating with their parents. This active role could prevent serious consequences such as depression, anxiety or even suicide. It is also important for parents to stay abreast with online trends and the latest technologies, websites and applications.

On the other hand, research has shown that, despite the numerous negative effects, Facebook can help young adults to express their virtual empathy and facilitate socialization among introverted teens. Also, “social networking can provide tools for teaching in compelling ways that engage young students.”

It seems, like most things in life, everything in moderation is best.

Social Networking's Good and Bad Impacts On Kids
Texting and Social Websites Associated With Risky Behaviors Among Teens

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Cancer Drug May Treat Schizophrenia

2011-07-23T13:38:00.009-04:00

In recent news, scientists have uncovered the molecular pathway involved in the onset of schizophrenia as well as a potential new treatment for the illness. By observing the effects of a cancer drug called MS-275 in mice, researchers discovered that symptoms of schizophrenia were successfully alleviated.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by disintegration of thought processes and emotional responsiveness. It is most commonly manifested as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood. Schizophrenia is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction.

Additionally, the disease is said to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have changes in both brain structure and chemistry. Studies using neuropsychological tests and brain imaging technologies such as fMRI and PET to examine functional differences in brain activity have shown that differences seem to most commonly occur in the frontal lobes, hippocampus and temporal lobes.

The greatest risk for developing schizophrenia is having a first-degree relative with the disease. Environmental factors associated with the development of schizophrenia include the living environment, drug use and prenatal stressors. Factors such as hypoxia and infection, or stress and malnutrition in the mother during fetal development, may result in a slight increase in the risk of schizophrenia later in life. A number of drugs have been associated with the development of schizophrenia including cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines.

“According to the World Health Organization, 90% of people with untreated schizophrenia are in developing countries. Current treatments for schizophrenia include both psychological treatments such as psychotherapy, counselling or cognitive behaviour therapy and/or medication. However, many of the antipsychotic drugs or major tranquillisers used to treat or manage the illness have very bad side-effects.”

Schizophrenia is said to affect about 24 million people worldwide.

Medications prescribed to treat schizophrenia include:

Typical side effects include:

Professor Peter Giese at King's College London discovered that individuals with schizophrenia had a reduction in the enzyme activator called p35. By manipulating the level of this enzyme in mice, the researchers were able to mirror typical cognitive impairments found in those with schizophrenia. Consequently, human post-mortem brains revealed that schizophrenic patients had approximately 50% less p35 in their brains.

That being said, the brain requires, among other things, the activation of a protein call Cdk5 to assist in proper development and this protein can only be activated in the presence of the p35 enzyme.

Therefore, by manipulating the level of p35 enzyme in mice, researchers noted that “the mice showed a reduction in synaptic proteins -- important in maintaining neural connections -- and displayed symptoms associated with schizophrenia, including learning impairments and inability to react to sensory stimuli.”

Subsequently, Professor Giese and his research team noticed that the reduction of the p35 enzyme altered molecules in the brain that are targeted by the cancer drug MS-275. To their delight, the molecular changes were corrected and the schizophrenic symptoms were alleviated by this drug.

With any luck, more research will prove that this drug is more beneficial than current medications with intolerable side-effects.

Cancer Drugs May Help Treatment of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Mental Health Medications

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Tranexamic Acid May Prevent Death From Head Injury

2011-07-03T11:39:00.004-04:00

Researchers of the CRASH-2 Intracranial Bleeding Study have uncovered the possibility that tranexamic acid may be able to prevent people from dying of head injuries. This hypothesis was derived from the examination of 270 adult trauma patients with traumatic brain injury and with, or at risk of, significant extracranial bleeding within 8 hours of injury. Results of the study were persuasive enough that a CRASH-3 study is needed to test the reliability of this drug among patients with head trauma.

Tranexamic acid, otherwise known as Lysteda or Cyklokapron in the U.S., is often prescribed for excessive bleeding. “It is an antifibrinolytic that competitively inhibits the activation of plasminogen to plasmin, a molecule responsible for the degradation of fibrin. Fibrin is the basic framework for the formation of a blood clot in hemostasis.” In addition to its value for treating trauma patients, it has been used to treat cases of excessive menstrual bleeding, to reduce blood loss during orthopedic surgery, as a mouthwash following dental surgery, as well as in obstetrics, cardiac surgery, hemophilia and hereditary angioedema.

If approved, tranexamic acid could be used immediately following trauma when bleeding typically progresses and causes more and more brain damage by reducing the breakdown of blood clots and decreasing the amount of bleeding into the brain thereby preventing brain damage and even death.

“Although the results are not definitive they provide hope about the potential effectiveness of this simple drug for head injury patients. If such an inexpensive and widely practicable treatment were found to improve patient outcomes after head injury this would have major implications for clinical care” Said Dr Pablo Perel.

Hopefully, CRASH-3 trials will unveil conclusive results so that such a simple treatment could be incorporated immediately following traumatic brain injuries to increase survival rates and reduce disability, not to mention avoiding extensive and challenging rehabilitation.

Potential of Simple Injection On Patients With Head Injury
Tranexamic acid

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Drug Could Erase Bad Memories

2011-05-31T10:34:00.012-04:00

According to researchers of the Centre for Studies on Human Stress of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital at the University of Montreal, our brain loses its ability to associate negative emotions with painful memories while using the drug metyrapone.

“‘Metyrapone is a drug that significantly decreases the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is involved in memory recall,’ explained lead author Marie-France Marin. Manipulating cortisol close to the time of forming new memories can decrease the negative emotions that may be associated with them. "The results show that when we decrease stress hormone levels at the time of recall of a negative event, we can impair the memory for this negative event with a long-lasting effect," said Dr. Sonia Lupien, who directed the research.”

Researchers taught 33 men a story that consisted of neutral and negative events. They separated the men into different groups and observed them 3 days later. A third of the participants received a single dose of metyrapone, another third received a double dose and the final third received a placebo. Researchers asked the participants to recall the story while under the influence of the drug they were given. Their memory of the story was evaluated while using the drug and again 4 days later when the drug was no longer circulating in their bloodstream.

“‘We found that the men in the group who received two doses of metyrapone were impaired when retrieving the negative events of the story, while they showed no impairment recalling the neutral parts of the story,’ Marin explained. ‘We were surprised that the decreased memory of negative information was still present once cortisol levels had returned to normal.’”

Consequently, such research could be very useful in treating mental illness. Not only could this drug be successful in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it could help many people with mental health issues resulting from traumatic experiences.

Unfortunately, metyrapone is no longer commercially produced; however research on the impact of certain compounds on cortisol levels can only lead to a better understanding of the way in which our brain processes negative emotions and memories. Additionally, this type of research may lead to the discovery of other medications that are currently available or potentially more successful in erasing our bad memories.

On the other hand, use of such a drug could lead to abuse as many of us could certainly pinpoint at least one painful memory that we would be willing to let go. Also, despite those whose lives have been seriously disrupted from past trauma, it is our experiences, both positive and negative, that molds us into the person we have become. Therefore, erasing our experience of negative emotions from certain memories may be toying with our personality and possibly creating havoc in our society.

Drug May Help Overwrite Bad Memories

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Fish Oil Supplements Could Soon Treat Bipolar Disorder and Alcoholism

2011-05-28T15:04:00.010-04:00

A great deal of research boasts about the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements. Now researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have found that it could also be beneficial in treating alcoholism and psychiatric disorders.

“In a multi-year study, researchers showed conclusive behavioral and molecular benefits for omega 3 fatty acid given to mice models of bipolar disorder. The fatty acid DHA, which is one of the main active ingredients in fish oil, "normalized their behavior," according to Alexander B. Niculescu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and the lead author of the study reported online in the Nature Publishing Group journal Translational Psychiatry.”

Researchers were able to draw such conclusions by studying the effects of Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on mice with characteristic bipolar symptoms including depression and manic episodes when exposed to stress.

Results showed that DHA normalized the behavior of the mice as they showed no signs of depression and experienced no periods of mania when under stress. Furthermore, molecular changes in their brain resulting from DHA correlate with molecular markers found in the blood, suggesting that DHA works similarly to psychiatric medications in the brain. According to Dr. Niculescu, "with these biomarker findings, we can now move forward as a field and do more targeted clinical studies in humans".

In addition, while studying the effects of DHA on the brain, researchers discovered that mice given DHA had less desire for alcohol.

“'These bipolar mice, like some bipolar patients, love alcohol. The mice on DHA drank much less; it curtailed their alcohol abusive behavior,' he said, adding that this is a completely novel finding. To verify this finding, the researchers studied another well-established animal model of alcoholism, the alcohol preferring P rats, and obtained similar results.”

Perhaps fish oil supplements may soon be used to treat bipolar disorder and alcoholism either exclusively or in conjunction with other treatment methods, thereby reducing unpleasant side effects of psychiatric medications while potentially improving overall health.

Fish Oil May Have Positive Effects on Mood, Alcohol Craving, New Study Shows

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Statins May Improve Outcomes For Stroke Patients

2011-04-27T14:07:00.005-04:00

Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has uncovered data suggesting that cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, may help clot-busting drugs treat strokes.

Already, statins are well-known for lowering cholesterol, however they have also been recognized for producing other beneficial effects, such as maintaining the health of cells that line our blood vessel walls and increasing our production of nitric oxide, which dilates our blood vessels.

Researchers studied 31 patients that suffered an ischemic stroke, in which a clot blocks blood flow to part of the brain. It was observed that 12 of the 31 subjects already prescribed statins to control cholesterol, experienced more rapid and complete return of blood flow to the blocked areas of the brain.

"We've known that patients on statins have better stroke outcomes, but the data in this study suggest a new reason why: Statins may help improve blood flow to brain regions at risk of dying during ischemic stroke," says senior author Jin-Moo Lee, MD, PhD, director of the cerebrovascular disease section in the Department of Neurology. "If that turns out to be the case, we may want to consider adding statins to the clot-busting drugs we normally give to acute stroke patients."

To study this possibility, patients experiencing an ischemic stroke were treated with a clot-busting drug and followed up with an MRI. This scan was performed during treatment and again three hours later to assess the effectiveness of the clot-busting drug to restore blood flow to the blocked areas.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time someone has looked at the effects of statins on restoration of blood flow using brain tissue-based measurements instead of looking at the opening of blood vessels," says lead author Andria Ford, MD, assistant professor of neurology. "It's harder to do, but we feel it gives us more accurate measurements."

In only a short 3 hour window, twelve of the patients that were already being treated with statins averaged about 50% restored blood flow to affected areas of the brain, whereas the remaining 19 patients that were not already being treated with statins only averaged roughly 13% restored blood flow.

In addition, physicians tested these patients using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, which evaluates speech, movement, attention and sensation, upon arrival at the hospital and at one month following their stroke. These results also demonstrated that patients treated with statins showed more improvement in their scores when assessed a month after their stroke occurred.

Although results appear promising, researchers have not yet determined whether regular doses of statins or merely treatment of stroke with statins produces such results. Further investigation may prove to have a positive impact on society’s number one disabler.

Cholesterol Drugs May Improve Blood Flow After Stroke

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The Halo Effect of Healthy Eating

2011-04-13T13:04:00.002-04:00

“The halo effect is a cognitive bias whereby the perception of one trait (i.e. a characteristic of a person or object) is influenced by the perception of another trait (or several traits) of that person or object. An example would be judging a good-looking person as more intelligent.”

Research conducted by Jenny Wan-chen Lee, a graduate student in Cornell University's Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, has studied the fact that a positive characteristic attributed to certain foods can radiate a "halo" around it so that we may misperceive all other characteristics associated with those foods as positive. The halo effect can not only influence what we eat, but how much we eat.

“For instance, research has shown that people tend to consume more calories at fast-food restaurants claiming to serve "healthier" foods, compared to the amount they eat at a typical burger-and-fry joint. The reasoning is that when people perceive a food to be more nutritious, they tend to let their guard down when it comes to being careful about counting calories -- ultimately leading them to overeat or feel entitled to indulge.“

Furthermore, this theory also applies to many types of foods that are said to be healthy. Quite often, people will assume that an organic product is healthier merely for the simple fact that it carries the “organic” label.

To test this hypothesis, Lee asked 144 subjects at a local mall to compare what they thought were conventionally and organically produced chocolate sandwich cookies, plain yogurt, and potato chips. Lee ensured that all products were identical, however labeled some items as organic and others as regular. Each participant was asked to rate, on a scale of 1-9, ten different attributes of each food item, such as overall taste, perception of fat content etc. Participants were also asked to estimate the number of calories and the price they would be willing to pay for each item.

Results showed that subjects mostly preferred the taste of the organically-labeled foods and reported that these same foods were lower in calories, lower in fat, higher in fiber and worth a higher price. Even organically labeled chips and cookies were considered more nutritious.

The bottom line is that many people are deceived by fancy labels, such as “organic”, and truly believe that they are eating healthy when in reality; they may be just as unhealthy as the rest.

Halo effect
Health Halo Effect: Don't Judge a Food by Its Organic Label

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Popular Asthma Drug May Effectively Treat Alzheimer's Disease

2011-03-27T12:57:00.008-04:00

According to researchers at Temple University's School of Medicine, the popular asthma drug, Zileuton, has shown potential in treating Alzheimer’s disease. This medication works by reducing the amount of amyloid beta that develops and accumulates in the aging brain. Amyloid beta is a peptide that has been known to be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

“In previous studies, the Temple researchers discovered that 5-lipoxygenase, an enzyme long known to exist in the brain, controls the activation state of gamma secretase, another enzyme that is necessary and responsible for the final production of amyloid beta. When produced in excess, amyloid beta causes neuronal death and forms plaques in the brain. The amount of these amyloid plaques in the brain is used as a measurement of the severity of Alzheimer's.”

“Zileuton (trade name ZYFLO) is an orally active inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, and thus inhibits leukotrienes (LTB4, LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4) formation.“

Domenico Praticò and fellow researchers tested the effects of this drug on genetically engineered mice with Alzheimer's disease. Results showed that amyloid production and build-up in the brain was reduced by 50% by treating the mice with Zileuton.

Researchers are already aware of substances that can block gamma secretase’s production of amyloid, however completely eliminating a vital function may result in other health problems, such as developing cancer. “Unlike classical gamma secretase inhibitors, Zileuton only modulates the protein expression levels, which keeps some of its vital functions in tact while blocking many of its bad effects, which in this case is the development of the amyloid plaques.”

Fortunately, if clinic trials effectively demonstrate Zileuton’s ability to treat Alzheimer’s disease, the medication could be readily available to patients as it is already FDA-approved and on the market.

In addition, further research may uncover treatments for other untreatable diseases resulting from amyloid plaques accumulating in the brain, such as cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a neurological condition that occurs when amyloid proteins build up on the walls of the arteries in the brain, which increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke and dementia.

Asthma Drug Could Help Control or Treat Alzheimer's Disease
Zileuton
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy

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Voice Pitch May Predict Infidelity

2011-03-05T15:00:00.004-05:00

According to a recent study, the pitch of one’s voice, as heard by the opposite sex, can give away their likelihood of cheating on their partner. For instance, women believe that cheating is more likely, the lower a man’s voice, whereas men believe that cheating is more likely, the higher a women’s voice.

"In terms of sexual strategy, we found that men and women will use voice pitch as a warning sign of future betrayal. So the more attractive the voice -- a higher pitch for women and lower pitch for men -- the more likely the chances he or she will cheat," says Jillian O'Connor, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University and lead author of the study.

In the study, subjects were asked to listen to recordings of a male and female with higher pitched voices, followed by recordings of a male and female with lower pitched voices. From these clips, participants were then asked to evaluate the couples by deciding which of the two were most likely to cheat.

"The reason voice pitch influences perceptions of cheating is likely due to the relationship between pitch, hormones and infidelity," explains David Feinberg, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour and advisor on the study.

Physiologically, men with higher testosterone levels typically have lower pitched voices and women with higher estrogen levels tend to have higher pitched voices. Meanwhile, higher levels of such hormones in men and women tend to be associated with elevated sex drive, as well as, adultery, according to this study.

In a nut shell, this study was seeking to uncover, from an evolutionary perspective, some sort of motivating factor in how people choose their mates so that any future financial or emotional costs associated with infidelity can be avoided.

At this moment, most of us are asking ourselves how this research might apply to individuals of other sexual orientations, in addition to comparing our partner’s voice to others…

Can You Predict Your Mate Will Cheat by Their Voice?

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Couples' Conflict Style Affected By Infant Attachment Patterns

2011-02-19T11:17:00.013-05:00

A recent study, published in the journal Psychological Science, has discovered a link between the way in which couples' recover from conflict and their attachment patterns as infants.

“Attachment theory describes the dynamics of long-term relationships between humans especially as in families and life-long friends. Its most important tenet is that an infant needs to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to occur normally, and that further relationships build on the patterns developed in the first relationships.”

From this theory, Mary Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist, identified three attachment styles, or patterns, that a child may have with attachment figures. These include secure, anxious-avoidant (insecure) and anxious-ambivalent or resistant (insecure). A fourth pattern, disorganized attachment, was identified later.

“Attachment theory was extended to adult romantic relationships in the late 1980s by Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver. Four styles of attachment have been identified in adults: secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant and fearful-avoidant. These roughly correspond to infant classifications: secure, insecure-ambivalent, insecure-avoidant and disorganized/disoriented.”

Accordingly, researchers at the University of Minnesota studied a cohort of couples born in the mid-seventies while they engaged in a discussion about a subject they disagreed on followed by a “cool down” discussion about a subject they agreed upon. Researchers noticed an interesting phenomenon during the so-called cool down period. Some couples were fully capable of making the transition from the disagreed upon subject to the agreed upon subject, while other partners or couples could not move on from the conflict discussion.

Interestingly, a look back at the observations of these participants in the seventies at age 12 to 18 months of age suggests that their current behaviour is associated with their attachment type as infants. “People who were more securely attached to their caregivers as infants were better at recovering from conflict 20 years later. This means that if your caregiver is better at regulating your negative emotions as an infant, you tend to do a better job of regulating your own negative emotions in the moments following a conflict as an adult.”

Fortunately, researchers also uncovered evidence to suggest that those individuals that were categorized as insecurely attached infants who are in relationships that recover well from conflict are couples that are most likely to stay together so long as one partner can quickly disengage from the conflict and avoid dwelling on any resulting negative thoughts and emotions.

“This is some of the first evidence that romantic partners play an important role in buffering the potential harmful effects from poor experiences earlier in life.” It is refreshing to know that the people in our lives can play such an important role in altering the consequences of our earlier life experiences.

How Couples Recover After an Argument Stems from Their Infant Relationships
Attachment theory

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Greater Suicide Risk Found Among People Living At Higher Altitudes

2011-01-16T15:43:00.007-05:00

Researchers have examined twenty years of mortality data from counties across the United States and discovered that those living at higher altitudes were at greater risk of suicide. Geographically speaking, altitude refers to the height above mean sea level. High altitudes mean low air pressure, lower temperatures and less oxygen.

Barry Brenner, MD, PhD, and David Cheng, MD, University Hospitals Case Medical Center (Cleveland, OH), and coauthors Sunday Clark, MPH, ScD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (PA), and Carlos Camargo Jr., MD, DrPH, Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston), examined cause-of-death data from all 2,584 U.S. counties between 1979 and 1998 and found that, as a group, people living at higher elevations had a statistically significant higher rate of suicide.

In addition, a link was still evident when all other factors, such as age, gender, race and level of income were held constant. Furthermore, researchers’ uncovered evidence that this correlation was not in any way linked to higher death tolls resulting from other causes. In reality, residents of higher altitude locations were found to have significantly lower rates of overall mortality.

What could be contributing to this elevated risk of suicide? Could it be that the locations are simply less densely populated? Are there higher rates of addiction among the residents? Could it be that a cold climate increases this risk? Are residents in these areas more likely to own guns? Or could it really be that a lack of oxygen to the brain, especially for those already struggling with mental illness, is the contributing risk factor?

Top 10 highest cities worldwide:

10. Mizma, Ethiopia – 11483 ft
9. Apartaderos, Venezuela – 11502 ft
8. Raíces, Mexico – 11919 ft
7. Laya, Bhutan – 12533 ft
6. Olacapato, Argentina – 13153 ft
5. Dolpa, Nepal – 14301 ft
4. Parinacota, Chile – 14435 ft
3. Komic, Lahaul-Spiti district, India – 15049 ft
2. Colquechaca, Bolivia – 15393 ft
1. La Rinconada, Peru and/or Wenzhuan, China – 16728 ft

Suicide Risk Greater for People Living at Higher Elevations, Study Finds
Altitude
List of highest towns by country

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Mental Health Blog Celebrates Another Year

2011-01-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Sleep Helps Improve Memory and Creativity

2010-12-17T14:29:00.012-05:00

It is common knowledge that sleep is an important part of healthy living, but just how important is it? We already know that sleep helps to strengthen our memories and store them in some sort of order so that they may be retrieved as needed at a later date.

Recently, the journal, Current Directions in Psychological Science, has published findings that explain how sleep is also important for the reorganization of memories. According to Jessica D. Payne of the University of Notre Dame, who co-wrote the article with Elizabeth A. Kensinger of Boston College, our brain extracts the emotional details from our memories during our slumber, while keeping the most relevant information in tact so that it may reconfigure those memories and use them to create new and creative ideas.

Payne and Kensinger study what happens to memories during sleep, and they have found that a person tends to hang on to the most emotional part of a memory. For example, if someone is shown a scene with an emotional object, such as a wrecked car, in the foreground, they're more likely to remember the emotional object than, say, the palm trees in the background -- particularly if they're tested after a night of sleep. They have also measured brain activity during sleep and found that regions of the brain involved with emotion and memory consolidation are active.

The table below displays our suggested amount of sleep that is needed at various stages in life:

So, the sleeping brain is actually quite busy. We may not realize how beneficial sleep can be for our brains. Payne says: “People who say they'll sleep when they're dead are sacrificing their ability to have good thoughts now […] we can get away with less sleep, but it has a profound effect on our cognitive abilities”.

Sweet dreams.

Sleep Makes Your Memories Stronger, and Helps With Creativity
Sleep

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Concussions Are Quite Common In Canadian Junior Hockey

2010-11-06T11:57:00.007-04:00

The November 2010 issue of Neurosurgical Focus illustrates concern for young players in Canadian junior ice hockey as researchers have uncovered alarming data and trends regarding head injuries and concussions.

"The aftermath of a concussion can impact memory, judgment, social conduct, reflexes, speech, balance and coordination. Epidemiological studies have suggested an association between sport concussions and both immediate and later-life cognitive impairment. As such, this is a public health issue that needs to be taken more seriously by players, parents, coaches, and medical professionals," said Dr. Echlin.

Although, the issue of sports-related head injuries has been a growing concern for some time, this new study is the first to document the significance of this concern among junior hockey players.

Specifically, the Hockey Concussion Education Project (HCEP), a cohort study conducted between 2009 and 2010, researched 67 male ice-hockey players between the ages of 16 and 21 among two fourth-tier teams.

Before the hockey season began, the players were assessed with the Sideline Concussion Assessment Test (SCAT2) and the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT). Following these tests, players were monitored by one independent physician and one to three independent, non-physician observers, at each regular season game.

The disturbing results…

17 players experienced a total of 21 concussions in only 52 games.
5 of those 17 players suffered a second or recurrent concussion during the hockey season.
15 of the same 17 players admitted to having at least one concussion in the past, while 2 admitted to hiding the fact to continue playing.
The positions most affected by concussion are: forward position (71%) and defense (29%).
No concussions were incurred by goalies.
The rate of concussion increases as the game progresses: first period (14%); second period (29%); and third period (57%).
24% of the concussions occurred in players directly involved in a fight.
The mean clinical return-to-play duration in 15 players was 12.8 days.

These statistics suggest that more education is needed to convince players, coaches and parents alike that concussion really is a serious problem that should not be ignored. Testing and monitoring after a concussion occurs is extremely important, however more often than not, the extra attention required is more of a burden to most.

In addition, educating players on the dangers should reduce the number of unreported cases and the concealment of concussions to avoid sitting on the bench. Players need to be aware that concussions are quite common in sport and the tough guy act could have devastating results to both physical and mental abilities that could last decades.

Junior Ice Hockey Study Uncovers Alarming Concussion Rates

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Study Suggests That Light Drinking During Pregnancy Is Not Harmful

2010-10-11T13:43:00.005-04:00

According to a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, light drinking during pregnancy will not harm your child's behavioural or intellectual development.

A past study found similar findings among 3 year olds, but researchers wanted to study older children in case any symptoms had been delayed in the previous research.

“They used data from the Millennium Cohort Study -- a large study tracking the long term health of children born in the UK -- drawing on a representative sample of 11,513 children born between September 2000 and January 2002.”

As in many studies, researchers relied on the mothers self-reports. When children reached 9 months of age, the mothers were questioned about their drinking habits and other social and economic factors surrounding their lives.

Their alcohol consumption was divided into categories set out by the government's National Alcohol Strategy. “The mothers were classified as teetotal; those who drank but not in pregnancy; light (1 or 2 units a week or at any one time); moderate (3 to 6 units a week or 3 to 5 at any one time); and binge/heavy (7 or more units a week or 6 at one sitting).”

Although the study relied on the mothers’ self-reports of their children’s behavior at the age of 3, a formal assessment on behavioral and intellectual development of these children was completed when they reached 5 years of age.

Results showed that just below 6% of the mothers abstained from drinking and 60% abstained from drinking for the duration of the pregnancy alone. Of the mothers that drank during pregnancy, 26% admitted to light drinking, 5.5% were considered moderate drinkers and 2.5% were classified as heavy or binge drinkers.

Findings among all groups revealed that boys were more likely to have developmental problems, behavioral issues, hyperactivity and peer issues. Girls, on the other hand, were more likely to develop emotional problems. Testing also indicated that girls scored higher in cognitive abilities than boys.

As expected, the children of heavy drinking mothers were more likely to have behavioral and emotional issues as well as problems with hyperactivity. However, the findings did not suggest any behavioral or intellectual deficiencies among children whose mothers were considered light drinkers during pregnancy.

“Children born to light drinkers were 30% less likely to have behavioural problems than children whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy. After taking account of a wide range of influential factors, these children achieved higher cognitive scores than those whose mums had abstained from alcohol while pregnant.”

In today's world, attitudes have hardened and the widespread opinion is to avoid any risks and abstain from drinking alcohol, but this study certainly questions these beliefs. Although the findings may turn our views upside-down, it would be helpful to know if these mothers were light drinkers for the entire duration of pregnancy and/or during breastfeeding before alcohol-dependent mothers are given the green light.

Light Drinking During Pregnancy: Harmful to Child's Behavioral or Intellectual Development?

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Mental Health Blog's Opinion On Technology and Mental Health

2010-10-11T12:05:00.006-04:00

The following is an article that mentions Mental Health Blog and outlines my opinion on technology and how it relates to the mental health field.

For those interested in reading the article, please click the following link:

Medical Animation, Technology a Growing Industry

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Estrogen Levels Affect Women's Ability To Learn

2010-09-25T11:51:00.008-04:00

Concordia University has published new research in the popular journal, Brain and Cognition, demonstrating that high levels of estrogen, such as those found during the female ovulation period, has an affect on attention and learning.

"Although estrogen is known to play a significant role in learning and memory, there has been no clear consensus on its effect," says senior author Wayne Brake, an associate professor at Concordia's Center for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology. "Our findings, using a well-established model of learning called latent inhibition, shows conclusively that high estrogen levels inhibit the cognitive ability in female rodents."

Findings in this study resulted from experiments on the latent inhibition of rats. Latent inhibition is a term derived from Classical conditioning. It occurs when a subject takes longer to give meaning to a stimulus that had no previous significance than it would when associated with a new stimulus. It is a natural tendency to disregard or inhibit forming a memory by preventing associative learning of a stimulus with no associated consequence. It is an unconscious response and presumed to prevent sensory overload. “Latent inhibition is observed in many species, and is believed to be an integral part of learning, enabling an organism to interact successfully in an environment.”

The research team discovered that estrogen has a direct effect on the brain. In their experiment, rats were repeatedly exposed to a specific tone that had no consequence linked to it. After some exposure rats began ignoring the tone because they were used to it. The researchers then linked the tone with a different stimulus. Results showed that rats with higher levels of estrogen took much longer to form the association than rats with low levels of estrogen.

"We only observed this effect in adult female rats," says Brake. "This and our other findings indicate that estrogen directly effects the brain, perhaps by interfering with brain signaling molecules. Our study helps clear up the controversy about the effects of estrogen, the next step is to look at how this occurs."

Can't Focus? Maybe It's the Wrong Time of Month, Finds Estrogen Study on Attention and Learning
Latent inhibition

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Lest We Forget...

2010-09-11T14:26:00.002-04:00

It estimated that as many as 70,000 people in New York could be suffering from PTSD because of the attacks on the World Trade Centre seven years ago today. Health officials have determined that more than 400,000 people were exposed to the tragedy on September 11, 2001. Recent data suggests that, of those who experienced the atrocity, 35,000 to 70,000 may have developed PTSD and 3,800 to 12,600 may have developed asthma. There are 71,437 people on the health registry who agreed to be monitored for up to 20 years since the disaster. "Half of those surveyed said they were in the dust cloud left by the collapsing towers, 70 per cent witnessed a traumatic sight – such as a plane hitting a tower or falling bodies – and 13 per cent were injured that day". Of the endless list of rescue and recovery workers, commuters, area workers, Lower Manhattan residents, and passersby, PTSD was highest among those who had sustained injuries (35%), followed by those with low-income (31%), and Hispanic (30%) respondents. Read More

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Ketamine: A Promising New Treatment For Depression

2010-08-22T14:01:00.006-04:00

Ketamine is a fast-acting liquid anesthetic used mainly by veterinarians; it's also used in human medicine, even in children, because it doesn't depress breathing.

It's also an illegal club drug, known as "special K" or "vitamin K."

The street version is usually sold in a powder form that can be snorted or mixed into drinks, or dissolved into a liquid and injected.

It acts like LSD, causing vivid hallucinations in users and a sensation of floating outside their bodies.

Researchers at Yale University have discovered that a single dose of ketamine helps the brain to form new synaptic connections between neurons and can begin to relieve depressive symptoms in a little as 40 minutes.

In contrast, Prozac and other types of antidepressants can take anywhere from two weeks to a full month before they start to demonstrate any real results, in which benefits can only be seen in about a third of patients. This new antidepressant is now being tested in Canada with promising results.

Dr. James Kennedy, director of the neuroscience research department at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto states that ketamine might alleviate what has been known as a “major clinical problem”. The 2 - 4 weeks that patients await relief is a critical time where devastating outcomes, such as suicide, can occur because they begin to feel more energetic but depressive symptoms remain. Not only is there hope for those with difficult to treat depression, ketamine could actually save lives.

Earlier studies involving patients with "treatment-resistant" depression have found that those given a single dose of ketamine experience rapid and significant improvement in symptoms.

In a small study published earlier this month on patients with bipolar depression, 71 per cent of participants responded to ketamine versus six per cent who responded to placebo.

In addition to being fast-acting, studies show that relief can last for 7 – 10 days, according to professor of psychiatry and neurobiology at Yale, Ronald Duman, who calls ketamine a “magic drug”.

Duman also believes that this so-called magic drug may be able to reverse the effects of stress on the brain by repairing damaged connections between neurons caused by chronic stress.

Although ketamine may not be the ideal long-term solution for treating depression, it could certainly lead to the development of similar compounds that may produce the same effect, but can be more easily administered with less potential for abuse.

"Imagine someone who is in the ER (emergency department) and is highly suicidal. It would be a way to decrease the suicidal risk" says Dr. Pierre Blier, director of mood disorders research at the Institute of Mental Health Research and Canada Research Chair in Psychopharmacology at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, who has started using ketamine on some of his patients.

Sources:
'Magic drug' gives hope to bipolar patients - Ketamine is mainly used as an anesthetic by vets but shows promise in treating depression

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Deep Brain Stimulation May Delay Alzheimer's Disease

2010-08-08T12:17:00.005-04:00

Researchers in Toronto, Canada have developed an experimental brain surgery that may delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Six subjects with Alzheimer’s disease and an average age of 61 experienced this surgery called deep brain stimulation. The subjects continued to take their Alzheimer’s medication throughout the study.

Scientists implanted “electrodes in the brain's hippocampus, which plays a role in long-term memory. The electrical conductor acts as a pacemaker-like device in the head just beneath the skin. It is connected to a battery pack in the chest.”

Consequently, the mini-mental state exam, a cognitive test, revealed that half of the participants experienced a slow-down in the degenerative effects Alzheimer’s disease has on the brain, while the other half continued to decline in a manner typical of the disease’s progression.

While this new research has produced some promising results, deep brain stimulation is not a novel idea since it has been around for decades. For instance, Dr. Andres Lozano, a neurosurgeon at Toronto's University Health Network, experimented with its effects on Parkinson’s disease without success, unfortunately.

Although not all subjects experienced positive outcomes with this surgery, 64 year old, former city counselor from Brampton, Ontario, Robert Linton, recalled vivid memories of a day he spent fishing.

"I'm with my son," Linton recalled to reporters at Toronto Western Hospital. "I could see that muskie coming right at me as I was sitting in the chair, in Technicolor". "That's the power of touching a spot in your brain. I'm sold on it."

Currently, Lozano and his research team are recruiting roughly 50 people willing to install the stimulator. The plan is to activate half of the stimulators immediately and the other half only six months later all the while participants’ knowledge of its activation will remain unknown in order to truly test the benefits of the device.

Although, the true value of this device is not yet known, the actual retail cost if this treatment became available, would be between $15,000 and $20,000 per patient with a battery life of up to five years.

At the moment, I’m unsure whether I approve of this type of treatment. For one, results are insufficient therefore there is no real proof that the surgery will benefit enough people. Secondly, I am reminded of electroconvulsive therapy and I cannot get the image of Nurse Ratched delivering shock therapy out of my head…

Deep brain stimulation tested for Alzheimer's

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