Recently added articles from Psychopharmacology Educational Updates (PsychEd Up):
The sigma enigma: can sigma receptors provide a novel target for disorders of mood and cognition?(Essential PsychopharmaSTAHLogy)(Report)
May 01, 2009; ... Issue Evidence currently suggests that [sigma] 1 and [sigma] 2 receptors both mediate important functional and behavioral actions in the central nervous system and serve as novel targets for treatment of depression, cognitive disorders, cocaine abuse, and stroke. ...
Neuropsychiatry in Huntington's disease.(Second Messenger)(Report)
May 01, 2009; ... Introduction Huntington's disease was first described clinically over 100 year ago, by the neurologist George Huntington. (1) He was 22 at the time, and his paper on the disease was one of just two that he published in his lifetime. The disease was first known as Huntington's ...
Psychiatry in the combat zone: part II of II.(Invited Insights)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Jaime (1) joined the military in the mid-90s. Like Francis, he was involved in multiple combat experiences during his two deployments to Iraq between 2004 and 2006, and shortly thereafter began experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2006, he left active duty and ...
The genetics of nicotine addiction: toward more effective smoking cessation therapies.(Second messenger)(Report)
Apr 01, 2009; ... Background Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. (1) On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.2 While lung cancer and chronic lung diseases, along with heart disease, are the most frequent causes of ...
Psychiatry in the combat zone: part I of II.(Invited Insights)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Issue The practice of mental healthcare in the deployed environment is highly varied, offering anything from rudimentary makeshift "offices" atop a pile of rocks in the desert to facilities much like any modern American hospital. Regardless of environment, deployed ...
Managing mood symptoms in endometriosis.(Second Messenger)(Report)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Issue Endometriosis is a chronic, recurrent, gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, which gives rise to an inflammatory reaction and often causes pelvic pain and infertility. Co-occurring psychiatric symptoms may ...
Tailoring treatment of depression for women across the reproductive lifecycle: the importance of pregnancy, vasomotor symptoms, and other estrogen-related events in psychopharmacology (Part 2 of 2).(Essential psychopharmaSTAHLogy)(Report)
Feb 01, 2009; ... Issue Women are subject to hormonal changes after the reproductive lifecycle that increase the chances of developing major depression. In fact, natural menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats are linked to greatly increased risk of depression. Depending on the ...
Cognitive behavior therapy: learning techniques to change our negative perception of the environment.(Second Messenger)(Report)
Feb 01, 2009; ... Issue Psychoanalysis, also called psychodynamic therapy, is a therapeutic approach developed for the treatment of psychiatric conditions in the early 1900s. It involves a long treatment (generally several years) to uncover the past experiences that underlie a dysfunctional ...
Tailoring treatment of depression for women across the reproductive lifecycle: the importance of pregnancy, vasomotor symptoms, and other estrogen-related events in psychopharmacology (Part 1 of 2).(Essential PsychopharmaSTAHLogy)(Report)
Jan 01, 2009; ... Issue Compared with men, women are at increased risk of depression, especially at several reproductive-related lifecycle points. As estrogen levels vary throughout the lifespan, risk of depression in women also varies, and not all treatments are appropriate or effective at all ...
Seasonal affective disorder.(Second Messenger)(Report)
Jan 01, 2009; ... Issue Depressive episodes are a primary public health problem and are one of the most common psychiatric conditions to present clinically. (1) Some depressive episodes follow regular seasonal variation, occurring consistently with seasonal onset and remission. These seasonal ...
The healthy aging brain.(Invited Insights)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Issue As both we and our patients age, understanding how the brain changes through the lifespan is taking on increasing importance. To date, the vast majority of research on brain aging has focused on pathological states and inevitable decline. Combined with the widespread ...
Substance abuse.(Second Messenger)(Report)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Issue Substance abuse is a chronic, relapsing disorder in which compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior persists despite serious negative consequences. In 2005, over 25 million Americans over age 18 were classified with substance abuse or dependence. Virtually all ...
Toward a new generation of political scientists.(Invited Insights)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Issue From climate change to food safety, the domestic and international challenges that we face as a nation increasingly converge at the science-public policy interface. To overcome these challenges, it is essential that scientists engage policymakers in a transparent, ...
Neuroprotection in Huntington's disease.(Second Messenger)(Disease/Disorder overview)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Issue Huntington's disease (HD) is best known for its motor symptoms such as chorea and hypokinesia. However, this neurodegenerative disease is also accompanied by neuropsychiatric impairment such as major depression, memory loss, and mood and personality changes that greatly ...
The potential role of a Corticotropin-Releasing Factor receptor-1 antagonist in psychiatric disorders (Part 2 of 2).(Essential PsychopharmaSTAHLogy)(Report)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Issue Anxiety disorders are centered on the amygdala, which regulates the anxiety circuit. CRF antagonists may be useful in treating anxiety disorders. Action CRF antagonists could potentially ameliorate anxiety-related dysregulation at the raphe nucleus, ...
Identifying new drug targets for schizophrenia: the role of psychopathology in translational science.(Second Messenger)(Report)
Sep 01, 2008; ... Issue Translational science has recently been applied to research in drug development to target cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia using advances in cognitive neuroscience. Action Given the limitations in efficacy of currently available antipsychotic ...
Alzheimer's disease: current therapeutic status.(Invited Insights)(Report)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Issue Awareness of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its prevalence in the aging population resurged about 40 years ago. Since then, research into the causes and possible cures associated with this disease has grown exponentially. The currently available literature dealing with ...
Mind matters (Part II of II): an exploration of the placebo effect in treating depression.(Second Messenger)(Report)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Issue Recent systematic analyses have questioned the clinical significance of antidepressant medication over placebo pills, especially in mild to moderate cases of depression. A thoughtful examination of the placebo effect can help put placebo-controlled clinical trial outcomes ...