STANFORD, Calif. - For decades, scientists have known that eminently creative individuals have a much higher rate of manic depression, or bipolar disorder, than does the general population. But few controlled studies have been done to build the link between mental illness and creativity. Now, Stanford researchers Connie Strong and Terence Ketter, MD, have taken the first steps toward exploring the relationship. Using personality and temperament tests, they found healthy artists to be more similar in personality to individuals with manic depression than to healthy people in the general population. "My hunch is that emotional range, having an emotional broadband, is the bipolar patient's advantage," said Strong. "It isn't the only thing going on, but something gives people with manic depression an edge, and I think it's emotional range." Strong is a research manager in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science's bipolar disorders clinic and a doctoral candidate at the Pacific Graduate School. She is presenting preliminary results during a poster presentation today (May 21) at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association Meeting in Philadelphia.

Keyword: Depression; Schizophrenia
Link ID: 2108 - Posted: 05.22.2002

Copyright © 2002 AP Online By REX W. HUPPKE, Associated Press KOKOMO, Ind. - It started as a low hum, barely noticeable. But within months, the endless throbbing was like a corkscrew twisting into Diane Anton's temple. The walls of her home vibrated. Her bed shook. Bouts of nausea, short-term memory loss and hand tremors followed. "The noise was so penetrating and invasive," she said. "It was just not getting better." Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Hearing
Link ID: 2107 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Copyright © 2002 AP Online The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - A federal task force recommended that all adults be screened for depression during regular visits with their doctors, noting that many cases are mistreated and as many as half of all cases are missed. An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from depression, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said the nation's primary care doctors could begin to identify as much as 90 percent of cases by asking questions about depression. The task force, an independent medical panel asked by the federal government to evaluate the latest research in deciding what routine medical screening Americans need, released the findings in Tuesday's edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Copyright © 2001 Nando Media

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 2106 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Lisa M. Krieger Mercury News It's another sleepless night at Stanford University. But unlike the legions of students dozing over textbooks, volunteers at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Lab have pharmaceutical help: a controversial new drug called Provigil. The medication, whose name is an abbreviation of the words ``promotes vigilance,'' keeps the mind fully awake and attentive without the euphoric ``buzz'' or jittery nerves of amphetamines and caffeine. It could prevent deadly mistakes by sleep-deprived truck drivers, doctors and other nighttime workers -- but also poses the risk of misuse in a culture fueled by a 24/7 ethos. Provigil is but one of many provocative new tools to come out of the growing field of brain research. As scientists probe deeper into the brain's chemistry, they are learning more about what makes people feel alert, energetic, depressed, angry or serene. ©1995-2002 Knight Ridder Digital, Inc. All rights reserved.

Keyword: Sleep; Aggression
Link ID: 2105 - Posted: 06.24.2010

The evidence for and against cannabis-based drugs for multiple sclerosis is to be tested by a government watchdog over the next year, it was confirmed on Monday. The use of cannabinoids to relieve some of the symptoms of the illness is to be included in the next "work programme" of the National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness (NICE). If the go-ahead is given, it is likely they could be available in 2004. NICE was set up to appraise new and expensive treatments to see if they work - and are worth the money. Cannabinoids - drugs which are derived from the cannabis plant - are under test in several clinical trials. (C) BBC

Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis; Drug Abuse
Link ID: 2104 - Posted: 05.21.2002

Scientists strive to piece together the complete person David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor The history of medicine is filled with tales of bold surgeons replacing human body parts with artificial ones and of even bolder patients living with them. Artificial hearts are already beating tentatively in a few brave people, and biomedical engineers are constantly improving artificial limbs. Dozens of high-tech projects are under way that draw on the latest computer technology, synthetic materials and miniaturization methods. But the history of bionic efforts goes back for thousands of years: ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Robotics
Link ID: 2103 - Posted: 06.24.2010

The critical period in mice for establishing anxiety behavior later in life is between five and 21 days after birth New York, N.Y., —The circuitry in the brain that leads to anxiety first gets established in early development, according to new findings in mice by researchers from Columbia University Health Sciences and colleagues elsewhere. Their results imply that current popular drugs for adult anxiety do not necessarily treat the cause of the disorder, but may be alleviating symptoms resulting from an event that occurred long ago. The research, published in the March 28 issue of Nature, reveals there is a window of time during the development of the mouse--between five and 21 days after birth--when the brain becomes wired to be anxious later in life. The comparable time in humans is the third trimester of pregnancy and the first two to three years of life. The study, led by Dr. Rene Hen, associate professor of pharmacology (in psychiatry and in the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior), focused on a serotonin receptor gene. The researchers manipulated the time in development and the location in the brain that the serotonin receptor was active to understand its role in creating anxiety circuitry.

Keyword: Emotions; Stress
Link ID: 2102 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By SANDRA BLAKESLEE Consider the consequences of a garbage strike. Trash accumulates, streets are clogged and daily life is disrupted. Eventually, things can come to a standstill. Scientists say that kind of disruption may lie at the heart of a wide array of diseases afflicting millions of Americans. In the brain, researchers say, the result is Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and a slew of other neurodegenerative disorders including the human version of mad cow disease. In the pancreas, it is Type 2 diabetes; in the lungs, cystic fibrosis; in the eyes, cataracts. If the problem develops in a certain blood protein, patients can develop numbness in the fingers or toes, or a mysterious form of heart disease that may affect as many as 4 percent of African-Americans. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Alzheimers; Parkinsons
Link ID: 2101 - Posted: 05.21.2002

By GINA KOLATA Dr. Richard Friedman, a psychopharmacologist at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, had a runner's high — once. "When I was young and foolish, I ran a marathon in the Smoky Mountains," he said. "I have never before or since had that kind of high, and maybe it was just the result of a near-death experience." Bill Fox, a recreational bicyclist and an I.B.M. research lab technician, says his exercise highs do not come easily. "You've really got to work for this high," Mr. Fox explained, saying he usually needed two hours or more of sweaty, intense, vigorous exercise. But when the feeling comes, he said, it is just like cocaine, a drug he knows from his days as an addict. "It has that well-being kind of feeling, that Superman kind of feeling," said Mr. Fox of Middletown, N.Y. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Pain & Touch; Muscles
Link ID: 2100 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Descartes Notwithstanding, Some Neuroscientists Find the Answer in Chemistry, Not Philosophy By Shankar Vedantam Washington Post Staff Writer For centuries, philosophers have been bedeviled by this question: What makes people aware of themselves, and what gives rise to intention and free will? In other words, what is consciousness? In the 17th century, the French philosopher Rene Descartes suggested that consciousness was like an "observer" in the head, a higher function, separate from the workings of the physical brain. In the four centuries since, no one has done much better in explaining subjective experience -- your sensation of the color red, or a twinge of pain, or your ability to choose your actions. In recent years, philosophers who study cognition have come to call this "the hard problem." Neuroscientists -- data-dependent investigators who map brain function, trace neural networks and explore the biochemistry of neurotransmitters -- have traditionally treated the question of consciousness like an unwelcome guest at the dining table. Some have dismissed it as irrelevant to their understanding of the brain, and others have contended that objective analysis can never comprehend a feeling that is entirely subjective. © 2002 The Washington Post Company

Keyword: Intelligence
Link ID: 2099 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Caroline Ryan Scientists are developing a drug which could boost female sexual desire. Tests in female rats are proving promising, showing "significantly enhanced" sexual behaviour. Its developers believe it could be a more significant development in the treatment of sexual dysfunction than Viagra. If human trials do prove successful, it could be on the market within three years. The drug, PT141, is being developed by researchers at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada and Palatin Technologies - the company which is developing it. PT141 seems to encourage the female rats to actively seek out the males for sex, which in turn heightens their sexual arousal. The drug, which comes in the form of a nasal spray, has a virtually instantaneous effect. (C) BBC

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 2098 - Posted: 05.20.2002

A report into deaths from epilepsy is expected to suggest the NHS is failing people with the condition. The study, by the charity Epilepsy Bereaved to be published on Monday, will suggest hundreds of lives are being lost unnecessarily each year. Doctors are expected to criticise variations in medical care. They will also call for reporting procedures to be introduced to enable the NHS to monitor deaths and plan effective interventions. Epilepsy affects more than 300,000 people living in the UK. Official figures suggest that about 1,000 people die every year as a result of the condition. Many of these deaths are caused by prolonged seizures which become life-threatening but many deaths remain unexplained. This is referred to as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) and is prevalent in young adults with the condition. It often occurs while they are sleeping. (C) BBC

Keyword: Epilepsy
Link ID: 2097 - Posted: 05.20.2002

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Medical Center researchers have found that patients who report that they have poor health and high levels of pain or disability are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than other patients in a primary care environment. Female gender was also an indicator of anxiety and depression, they found. The researchers believe that such new clues to anxiety and depression can contribute to an improved diagnostic profile that will help family physicians identify patients most at risk for anxiety and depression and help those patients receive appropriate care. The results were published in the May/June issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice. "Primary care physicians see a wide range of patients, from those needing routine health check ups to those with chronic disease and disabilities," said lead author Lawrence Wu, M.D.

Keyword: Depression; Emotions
Link ID: 2096 - Posted: 05.20.2002

Experts offer some advice on deer illness By BRIAN TUMULTY Press-Gazette Washington bureau WASHINGTON — Scientists and wildlife experts testifying at a congressional hearing Thursday acknowledged there are many unanswered questions about the always fatal chronic wasting disease that has infected deer and elk in eight states ranging from Colorado to Wisconsin. But they did offer some basic advice for the public: Q. How likely is it that people may become infected? A. It’s highly unlikely. “There’s no evidence that chronic wasting disease poses a threat to humans,” said Russell George, director of the division of wildlife at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Q. What does the disease do? A. Animals become emaciated or “wasted” by chronic weight loss. Chronic wasting disease, or CWD as it is often called, is always fatal. But it usually takes 16 to 32 months to incubate. Animals often become listless, lower their heads and walk in repetitive patterns. Some infected elk become highly excited and nervous. Q. Is the disease a virus or bacteria? A. Neither. CWD is a form of protein, according to wildlife veterinarian Michael Miller of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. It is scientifically described as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or TSE. Once an animal is infected, the toxicity builds until the animal dies. Copyright © 2002

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 2095 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Joanna Ross in Cape Town Marjorie Feni felt depressed after the birth of her son. Her pregnancy, like approximately one in seven of South African conceptions, was unplanned. She said: "I cut myself off from him. If he would cry then I would close the door and leave and maybe go away for 30 minutes and he would be unattended. "I know now it was depression but I didn't know at the time I was depressed." Today she works for a project that is trying to give support to women in the black townships around Cape Town. "Thula Sana" was established by a clinical psychologist, Mark Tomlinson, after a study found that post-natal depression amongst South African mothers was four to five times higher than in Western European and North American women. (C) BBC

Keyword: Depression
Link ID: 2094 - Posted: 05.19.2002

Reading in the dark or holding a book to close to your face could indeed damage your eyes, as your parents used to warn. Writing in the British Medical Journal, a US eye expert says science is increasingly confirming those childhood admonishments. This is because it is believed the way we use our eyes when young can affect the way the eyes develop. Douglas Frederick, associate clinical professor of opthalmolmology at University of California San Francisco wrote that short-sightedness, or myopia, is on the rise. He said in aboriginal peoples the rates of myopia were rising from virtually nothing to similar levels to those found in Western populations, as they are exposed to Western education systems. Professor Frederick looked at a wide body of research already carried out into short-sightedness for his paper. (C) BBC

Keyword: Vision
Link ID: 2093 - Posted: 05.19.2002

SHARON BEGLEY, The Wall Street Journal To Charles Darwin's intellectual descendants, the father of evolutionary theory betrayed the cause: In 1839, he married his first cousin, Emma Wedgewood. These "ultra-Darwinists" (as critics call them) argue that there is such a thing as a universal human nature, and that it's much the same whether the humans in question live in the tropical jungles of Borneo or the urban jungles of New York. It is human nature, say these evolutionary psychologists, to be sexually coy if you're female but spread your seed if you're male, to care about blood relatives more than strangers and to avoid marrying your cousin. The contention that there are universal human behaviors is controversial enough. But some scientists go further, arguing that such instincts date from the Stone Age and -- here's where the fights start -- are genetically based. As evo-psych says, genes have human behavior "on a short leash." ©2002 Associated Press

Keyword: Genes & Behavior; Evolution
Link ID: 2092 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By EMILY EAKIN What a hairy back!" was Lily Tomlin's candidate for the first human sentence. But whatever the content of that original remark, if Michael C. Corballis is correct, it was expressed in gestures, not words. Mr. Corballis, a psychologist at the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, is the latest proponent of a controversial idea known among language experts as the "gestural theory." In essence, gestural theorists contend that long before early humans spoke they jabbered away with their hands. Where language comes from remains one of human evolution's enduring puzzles. But in a new book, "From Hand to Mouth: The Origins of Language" (Princeton Univerity Press), Mr. Corballis pluckily takes a stand, arguing that speech was an ingenious innovation but not quite the freakish marvel that linguists have often made it out to be. Proposing that human ancestors made the switch from gestures to speech quite recently — he puts the date at around 50,000 years ago, a mere yesterday in evolutionary terms — Mr. Corballis believes that language itself, and the sophisticated mental capacities necessary to produce it, are far older. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Language; Evolution
Link ID: 2091 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Exercise seen to help brain respond to outside stimuli, may affect nerve cell health Irvine, Calif., — That daily jog may do more than keep you fit-it also might prevent the deterioration of brain cells that can lead to Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at UC Irvine's College of Medicine. The researchers' work indicates that regular exercise controls the expression of genes in an area of the brain important for memory and maintaining healthy cells in the brain; this maintenance breaks down in cases of Alzheimer's. Their study appears in the June edition of Trends in Neurosciences. Carl Cotman, director of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, and Nicole Berchtold, a researcher at the institute, found in rats that after three weeks of wheel-running, their brains had increased expression of some genes and decreased expression of others. Many of these genes are responsible for helping the brain respond to stress, learning and a wide range of other outside influences. UCI Communications Office © copyright 2001 UC Regents

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 2090 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Researchers at Rigshospital have used advanced scanning techniques to reveal regions of the brain which may be responsible for the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder. This according to daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende on Monday. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is believed to affect 2-3% of the national population. In some severe cases, obsessive-compulsive sufferers are rendered virtual invalids, unable to work or maintain social relationships. Symptoms include obsessive fear of hurting others, fear of contamination, sexual or religious obsessions or extreme fixations on order and symmetry. Researchers believe the discovery will be of enormous benefit to the medical understanding of OCD. All rights reserved CPHPOST.DK ApS

Keyword: OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Link ID: 2089 - Posted: 05.19.2002