First-ever visit to undisclosed locale 'helpful:' defense attorney
Associated Press Nov 20, 08 11:34 AM CST
(AP)
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Defense lawyers were allowed for the first time into a section of the prison at Guantanamo Bay so restricted that even its location on the US base is secret. The pair of military attorneys for an alleged Sept. 11 plotter went to Camp 7 to gauge the effects of the prison-within-a-prison on a man so unstable he believes his bed shakes.
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Men's age can affect ability to conceive earlier than women's
Time Sep 10, 08 1:12 PM CDT
(Newser)
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When a couple has trouble conceiving, don't necessarily blame the woman and her limited supply of eggs—men's fertility starts dropping even before women's, Time reports. In addition to fecundity issues, older men also risk siring children with higher rates of autism, schizophrenia, Down syndrome and bipolar disorder. Male fertility may peak as early as age 24, researchers say.
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Kids with dads over 30 have greater chance of developing disorder
Reuters Sep 2, 08 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Children born to fathers older than 30 have an 11% higher chance of developing bipolar disorder than kids with younger dads, and the risk increases with the father’s age, new research reveals. The rate climbs to 37% of offspring of fathers aged 55, Reuters reports, compared to the overall incidence of the disorder of 1% to 3% in all adults.
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Scientists disocover 3 genetic hot spots
Boston Globe Jul 30, 08 6:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Missing chunks of DNA increase a child's chance of developing schizophrenia by up to 10 times, say to two major international studies. Scientists are calling the data from more than 3,000 schizophrenia patients a huge step toward finding the genetic source of the disease, which could ultimately help doctors improve diagnosis and treatment, the Boston Globe reports.
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Study finds neural complexity generates more cranial static
LiveScience Jul 10, 08 1:36 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Just because you can't hear it doesn't mean your brain isn't making noise. It is, and scientists using high-tech gear to record it have now discovered that it increases as you mature, reports LiveScience . A comparison of noise generated by groups of children and young adults indicates that brain noise, once dismissed by neuroscientists as inconsequential static, increases along with cranial complexity.
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Parents more likely to be ill
AFP May 6, 08 3:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A new study of autistic children may provide insight into the causes of autism and its epidemic rates in developed countries. Researchers have found a link between autism and mental disorders among parents—including schizophrenia, personality disorders and clinical depression. Mothers and fathers diagnosed with schizophrenia are about twice as likely to have a child diagnosed with autism, the study found.
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Term goes the way
of smelling salts as experts seek accuracy
Newsweek Apr 15, 08 10:11 AM CDT
(Newser)
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“Nervous breakdown” has long been a catchall for psychological conditions as varied as depression and schizophrenia. But as psychiatric patients emerge from stigmatized isolation—and as the DSM fattens—scientists are chucking the antiquated term in favor of a more descriptive and accurate taxonomy. “I haven’t heard that term in years,” one expert tells MSNBC.
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Glitches vary from person to person
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Mar 28, 08 6:08 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Scientists have tracked down the genetic roots of schizophrenia, but in a surprising twist researchers found that the genetic errors to blame often vary from person to person, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer . The discovery suggests that multiple glitches in the genetic code are behind schizophrenia, with the exact combination unique in every patient.
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Officials debate reclassifying drug as seizures of potent dope soars
Daily Telegraph (UK) Feb 6, 08 12:21 PM CST
(Newser)
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Seizures of a super-strong strain of marijuana nicknamed "skunk" have risen sharply in the UK and experts say it could be causing an epidemic of cannabis-induced psychosis, the Daily Telegraph reports. Skunk is up to four times more potent than regular herbal cannabis, and now accounts for 80% of street seizures. British politicians are now debating reclassifying marijuana as a more dangerous drug.
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Pharma giant restocks pipeline by snapping up Swiss psychotherapy
Reuters Jan 3, 08 11:42 AM CST
(Newser)
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Merck today finalized a deal worth as much as $700 million to license a schizophrenia drug from Swiss biotech firm Addex Pharmaceuticals. Addex will get $22 million up front, and qualify for another $680 million in milestone payments. Such licensing deals are growing commonplace, Reuters reports, as big pharma turns to little biotech to refill drug pipelines.
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TV's finest imbodiment of social dysfunction helps cure the mentally unwell
New Yorker Oct 24, 07 3:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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However difficult Larry David might be, don’t call him unhelpful. The comic misfit's cringe-worthy gaffes turn out to be just the tonic for schizophrenics suffering from paralyzing social anxieties. A University of North Carolina grad student noticed his stubbornly uncommunicative patients respond well to sitcoms, especially “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” After group discussion of the show, the New Yorker reports, they showed marked improvement.
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Medicine marches on, leaving behind some ailments that defy understanding
LiveScience Sep 14, 07 10:21 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Doctors have successfully performed a face transplant, but the cure for the common cold still eludes them. LiveScience ponders the diseases that got away. AIDS Alzheimer's disease The common cold
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Works on different brain chemical than
its predecessors
BBC Sep 3, 07 3:58 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The first human trial of a new medication to treat schizophrenia that works fundamentally differently from its predecessors has shown promising results, according to this month's Nature Medicine . The drug targets glutamate rather than dopamine, as do other drugs. Scientists have long known glutamate is involved in schizophrenia.
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A new book traces the drug's history, from panacea to pandemic
Salon Aug 21, 07 6:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Even when it has the word "crystal" in front of it, meth is a downmarket drug, which summons up images of makeshift drug labs in run-down trailer parks. But meth, Salon notes in an essay on Frank Owen's new book, "No Speed Limit," has a rich history going back 90 years, spanning the whole socioeconomic gamut. Meth has traveled from over-the-counter wonder-drug to a top scorer in the "Index of Truly Bad Shit."
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