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Chronic pain changes our immune systems

Chronic pain may reprogram the way genes work in the immune system, according to a new study by McGill University researchers published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"We found that chronic pain changes the way DNA is marked not only in the brain but also in T cells, a type of white blood cell essential for immunity", says Moshe Szyf, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill. "Our findings highlight the devastating impact of chronic pain on other important parts of the body such as the immune system."

Electric patch holds promise for treating PTSD

An average of 30 years had passed since the traumatic events that had left them depressed, anxious, irritable, hypervigilant, unable to sleep well and prone to nightmares.

But for 12 people who were involved in a UCLA-led study -- survivors of rape, car accidents, domestic abuse and other traumas -- an unobtrusive patch on the forehead provided considerable relief from post-traumatic stress disorder.

MS drug tied to rising JC virus antibody levels

MINNEAPOLIS - People who take the drug natalizumab for multiple sclerosis may have up to a 10 times greater risk of developing a risk biomarker for activity of a virus that can lead to an often fatal brain disease, according to a study published in the January 27, 2016, online issue of Neurology® Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Gene study points towards therapies for common brain disorders

Scientists have pinpointed the cells that are likely to trigger common brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis and intellectual disabilities.

It is the first time researchers have been able to identify the particular cell types that malfunction in a wide range of brain diseases.

Scientists say the findings offer a roadmap for the development of new therapies to target the conditions.

What a moth's nose knows

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 27, 2015 -- Moths sniff out others of their own species using specific pheromone blends. So if you transplant an antenna -- the nose, essentially -- from one species to another, which blend of pheromones does the moth respond to? The donor species', or the recipients'? The answer is neither.

Researchers mine the epigenome to identify likely origins of childhood brain tumor subtype

Researchers have identified the cells that likely give rise to the brain tumor subtype Group 4 medulloblastoma. The finding removes a barrier to developing more effective targeted therapies against the brain tumor's most common subtype. A St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientist helped lead the international research, results of which appear online today in advance of publication in the scientific journal Nature.

Genetic study provides first-ever insight into biological origin of schizophrenia

A landmark study, based on genetic analysis of nearly 65,000 people, has revealed that a person's risk of schizophrenia is increased if they inherit specific variants in a gene related to "synaptic pruning" -- the elimination of connections between neurons. The findings represent the first time that the origin of this devastating psychiatric disease has been causally linked to specific gene variants and a biological process.

Antidepressants during pregnancy do not pose risk to unborn child

Women who take antidepressants during pregnancy do not appear to be at greater risk of giving birth to children with congenital heart defects compared to women who are not exposed to the drugs, according to new research from UCL.

Schizophrenia's strongest known genetic risk deconstructed

Versions of a gene linked to schizophrenia may trigger runaway pruning of the teenage brain's still-maturing communications infrastructure, NIH-funded researchers have discovered. People with the illness show fewer such connections between neurons, or synapses. The gene switched on more in people with the suspect versions, who faced a higher risk of developing the disorder, characterized by hallucinations, delusions and impaired thinking and emotions.

Prenatal exposure to flame retardants linked to poorer behavioral function in children

CINCINNATI--New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine suggests that prenatal exposure to flame retardants and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) commonly found in the environment may have a lasting effect on a child's cognitive and behavioral development, known as executive function.

Depressive symptoms prevalent among Division I college athletes

Nearly a quarter of Division I college athletes reported depressive symptoms while enrolled at a liberal arts university on the East Coast, says a new study published in the February issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Women were almost two times more likely to experience symptoms than their male peers.

Researchers at Drexel University and Kean University collected data over three consecutive years from 465 undergraduate athletes who attended a NCAA Division I private university.

Neuroticism predicts anxiety and depression disorders

EVANSTON, Ill. --- A new Northwestern University and UCLA study has found for the first time that young people who are high on the personality trait of neuroticism are highly likely to develop both anxiety and depression disorders.

"Neuroticism was an especially strong predictor of the particularly pernicious state of developing both anxiety and depressive disorders," said Richard Zinbarg, lead author of the study and professor of psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern.

Child abuse exposure, suicidal ideation in Canadian military, general population

Military personnel in Canada were more likely to have had exposure to child abuse than individuals in the general population and that exposure was associated with an increased risk of suicidal behavior that had a stronger effect on the general population than military personnel, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.Suicide is an important public health problem among both military and civilian populations. The ability to accurately anticipate who will think about, plan, and attempt suicide is a difficult task.

Manifestation of genetic risk for schizophrenia during adolescence in population

A new study published online by JAMA Psychiatry examined psychopathological features associated with the early expression of genetic risk for schizophrenia during adolescence in the general population. The work by Hannah J. Jones, Ph.D., of the University of Bristol, England, and coauthors used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

To read the full article and an editorial by Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, please visit the For The Media website.

New findings point to central nervous system role in painful diabetic peripheral nerve disease

January 27, 2016 - Emerging evidence suggests that the central nervous system (CNS) is a key contributor to the problem of painful peripheral nerve disease in people with diabetes, according to a special article in the February issue of PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).