How We Can Inherit Trauma and Resilience
Philip Perry, writing for Big Think, covers studies in epigenetics revealing how trauma can be passed on through generations.
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Researchers Investigate Antidepressant-Induced Suicidal Ideation
An increase in suicidal thoughts is a known and serious side-effect for various types of antidepressants. Recent studies suggest that there may be some...
Researcher Urges Caution When Applying Genetics to Psychiatry
In a review editorial for the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, neurobiology researcher Steven Dubovsky from the University at Buffalo argues against the adoption of...
Are DNA Changes the Link Between Poverty and Mental Illness?
Researchers at Duke University who studied 183 adolescents for three years found that increased depression associated with poverty may be mediated by epigenetic changes in DNA. The...
Comments on Jeffrey Lieberman and Ogi Ogasâ Wall Street Journal Article on the Genetics...
The March 3rd, 2016 edition of the Wall Street Journal featured an article by past President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Jeffrey Lieberman and his colleague, computational neuroscientist Ogi Ogas. The article was entitled âGenetics and Mental IllnessâLetâs Not Get Carried Away.â In their piece, the authors started by expressing the belief that a recent study identified a gene that causes schizophrenia, and then discussed whether it is desirable or possible to remove allegedly pathological genes in the interest of creating a future âmentally perfect society.â The authors of the article, like many previous textbook authors, seem unfamiliar with the questionable âevidenceâ put forward by psychiatry as proof that its disorders are âhighly heritableâ In fact, DSM-5 Task Force Chair David Kupfer admitted that âweâre still waitingâ for the discovery of âbiological and genetic markersâ for psychiatric disorders.
“Bewitching Science” Revisited: Tales of Reunited Twins and the Genetics of Behavior
In this article I will attempt to debunk one of the great âscientificâ smoke and mirrors shows of the past half centuryâthe claim that stories of reunited separated MZ (monozygotic, identical) twin pairs indicate that heredity plays a major role in causing human behavioral differences. These stories, which are often used to sell the false ideology of genetic determinism, have entered the public imagination in a way that academic research results never could. Here I will show that these stories provide no evidence whatsoever that (as yet undiscovered) âgenes for behaviorâ influence human behavioral development.
âThe Search for Schizophrenia Genesâ
MIA contributor Jonathan Leo, writing for Slate, weighs in on the research that claims to have discovered a genetic basis for schizophrenia. âWe now...
Large German Anti-Stigma Campaign Shows Little Effect on Attitudes
âOverall, this study showed that the information and awareness campaign had almost no significant effects on the general public's attitudes toward people affected by either schizophrenia or depression,â the researchers, led by German medical sociologist Anna Makowski, wrote. âOne could assume that deeply rooted convictions cannot be modified by rather time-limited and general activities targeted at the public.â
The Genetics of Schizophrenia: A Left Brain Theory about a Right Brain Deficit in...
In recent months, two teams of researchers in the UK and the US published complementary findings about the epigenetic origins of schizophrenia that have scientific communities who indulge in âgenetic conspiracy theoriesâ abuzz. While these results are intriguing, and no doubt involve pathbreaking research methodologies, this line of thought represents a decontextualized understanding both of the symptoms that are typically associated with schizophrenia, and their causes.
Child Poverty Linked to Early Neurological Impairment
A new NIH-funded study suggests that children from low-income environments are more likely to have neurological impairments. The researchers claim that these neurodevelopmental issues are âdistinct from the risk of cognitive and emotional delays known to accompany early-life poverty.â
From Phrenology to Brain Scans: How Shaky Neuroscience has Influenced Courts
In âWhen Phrenology Was Used in Court,â Geoffrey S. Holtzman writes for Slate about the spurious use of brain science in legal cases. In the 1800âs the âscience of phrenologyâ promised to reveal criminal psychological traits by measuring the skull and today defense teams still employ neurogenetic explanations for their clientâs violent behavior.
âCuring Naughty Children With Drugsâ
Dr. Max Pemberton âThe Mind Doctorâ weighs in on the Cochrane review which questioned the evidence for Ritalin for ADHD. He writes: âHistory is...
Is The Microbiome our Puppeteer?
âMy message today is that your state of gut will affect your state of mind. To have a healthy brain, we may need a...
Researchers Develop New Model for Understanding Depression
Acknowledging that current depression treatments are failing many people, researchers from Michigan State and MIT have developed a new model for understanding how multiple psychological, biological, social and environmental factors contribute to depression.
âLoneliness May Warp Our Genes, And Our Immune Systemsâ
NPR reports how loneliness can change our bodies and affect our physical and mental health. "There are things we can do to get out of a depressed or lonely state, but they're not easy," they report. "Part of the reason is because these negative psychological states develop some kind of molecular momentum."
âCan You Think Yourself into a Different Person?â
Will Storr, for Mosaic Science, wades into the world of neuroplasticity and explores to what extent our brains are capable of changing through adulthood. He asks if the tendency to overemphasize the findings of epigenetics and neuroplasticity isnât tied to our cultural belief that individuals are totally free to create themselves and pursue the American dream.
âNature and Nurture: Human Brains Evolved to be More Responsive to Environmental Influencesâ
"We found that the anatomy of the chimpanzee brain is more strongly controlled by genes than that of human brains, suggesting that the human brain is extensively shaped by its environment no matter its genetics," said Aida GĂłmez-Robles, postdoctoral scientist at the GW Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology and lead author on the paper. "So while genetics determined human and chimpanzee brain size, it isn't as much of a factor for human cerebral organization as it is for chimpanzees."
âThe Curious Case of the Antidepressant, Anti-Anxiety Backyard Gardenâ
âMy vegetable beds have even buoyed me through more acute stressors, such as my medical internship, my daughterâs departure for college, and a loved oneâs cancer treatment,â writes Dr. Daphne Miller. Now neuroscientists are attempting to study the antidepressant effects of soil microbes in hopes of unlocking the secrets of a powerful mood enhancer.
âThe Life and Times of Strider Wolfâ
In the Boston Globe, Sarah Schweitzer tells the story of a young boy brutally abused by his parents then given to his grandparents who struggled with extreme poverty and homelessness. âResearchers now understood that trauma could alter the chemistry of developing brains and disrupt the systems that help a person handle stress, propelling a perpetual state of high alert. The consequences could be lifelong. As an adult, heâd be more likely to suffer anxiety and depression and heart disease and stroke. His ability to hold a job, manage money, and make good decisions could be compromised. And there was evidence, controversial but mounting, that he could pass on these traits to his children.â
Disease Theory of âMental Illnessâ Tied To Pessimism About Recovery
Researchers recently completed a first of its kind, large-scale international survey of attitudes about mental health and they were surprised by the results. According to their analysis published in this monthâs issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders, people in developed countries, like the United States, are more likely to assume that âmental illnessesâ are similar to physical illnesses and biological or genetic in origin, but they are also much less likely to think that individuals can overcome these challenges and recover
NIMH Funding Changes Threaten Psychotherapy Research
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is increasingly shifting its research emphasis toward attempting to uncover biomarkers for âmental diseases,â which may have dramatic consequences for research and training in clinical psychology. In an article to be published in next monthâs Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Marvin Goldfried outlines how the shift in funding priorities for psychological research is tied to the needs of pharmaceutical companies and the biological model in psychiatry.
Mental Health Professionals Critique the Biomedical Model of Psychological Problems
While a great deal of the excitement about advances in psychological treatments comes from the potential for research in neuroscience to unlock the secrets of the brain, many mental health experts would like to temper this enthusiasm. A special issue of the Behavior Therapist released this month calls into question the predominant conception of mental illnesses as brain disorders.
Video: âHow Childhood Trauma Can Make You A Sick Adultâ
Dr. Vincent Felitti details the connection between childhood trauma and negative mental health outcomes in adulthood in a powerful video.
Emphasis on Nutrition Needed to Reform Mental Health Treatments
Even thought current mental health treatments are âsuboptimal,â there is a lack of attention paid to the preventative effects of diet and nutrition. Recent studies suggests that nutritional changes can influence the risk for mental health issues and that nutritional supplements, called nutraceuticals, can be prescribed for existing conditions.
âWhat Stress Does to Your Brainâ
âStress damages the integrity of the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that deals with memory and emotions,â Thor Benson writes for Salon. âHormones like Cortisol and other biological reactions created by stress essentially disrupt the balance of how much white and grey matter the brain is creating, which affects how the brain operates.â