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Physician, Writer and Bird Photographer. Translating Neuroscience Research Into Better Care for Brain Disorders.
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- July 23, 2010
- 02:40 PM
- 1,063 views
Autism Spectrum Predicts Poor Outcome in Anorexia Nervosa
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Few studies have examined the long-term outcome after the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. Fewer still have focused on adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa.Wentz and colleagues from Goteborg Sweden conducted a case-control study of 51 girls with anorexia nervosa with an average age of onset of 14 years old.Outcome studies in eating disorders often vary based on the site of recruitment. Community samples typically have the most favorable prognosis followed by those identified in outpatient........ Read more »
Wentz, E., Gillberg, I., Anckarsater, H., Gillberg, C., & Rastam, M. (2009) Adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa: 18-year outcome. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 194(2), 168-174. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.048686
Odent M. (2010) Autism and anorexia nervosa: Two facets of the same disease?. Medical hypotheses, 75(1), 79-81. PMID: 20176449
- July 21, 2010
- 11:23 AM
- 1,460 views
Dog Walking and Human Physical Activity Levels
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Increasing physical activity levels is one of the biggest public health challenges. Various environmental manipulations may provide pathways towards increasing the level of physical activity in children and adults.Several research studies support dog ownership as a correlate of increased physical activity levels. Coleman and colleagues examined the role of physical activity and weight status in households with and without dogs. Using the Neighborhood Quality of Life Survey, 32 neighborhoods in........ Read more »
Coleman KJ, Rosenberg DE, Conway TL, Sallis JF, Saelens BE, Frank LD, & Cain K. (2008) Physical activity, weight status, and neighborhood characteristics of dog walkers. Preventive medicine, 47(3), 309-12. PMID: 18572234
- July 13, 2010
- 01:46 PM
- 1,224 views
Pipeline Drugs for Obesity
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Pharmacotherapy effectiveness for the treatment of obesity has been disappointing. Currently available agents tend to have significant adverse effects (i.e. dependency issues for appetite suppressants) or limited weight loss potential (i.e. orlistat). Drug development has also been slowed by fallout from the link of the combination drug phentermine-fenfluramine (Phen-Fen). This combination was linked to serious heart complications including valvular heart disease.Currently available agents in........ Read more »
Klonoff DC, & Greenway F. (2008) Drugs in the pipeline for the obesity market. Journal of diabetes science and technology, 2(5), 913-8. PMID: 19885278
- July 12, 2010
- 12:24 PM
- 1,221 views
Preschool Eating Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorder
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Eating problems are not a diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Anecdotally, many parents of autistic children report difficulty with mealtime and food selection. A recent study from the University of New Mexico describes the type and extent of eating problems in a group of preschool children with ASD.The research team surveyed 24 parents of children with ASD and compared them with a group of 24 parents with a typically developing child. The primary measure was an instrument........ Read more »
Provost B, Crowe TK, Osbourn PL, McClain C, & Skipper BJ. (2010) Mealtime behaviors of preschool children: comparison of children with autism spectrum disorder and children with typical development. Physical , 30(3), 220-33. PMID: 20608859
- July 8, 2010
- 04:11 PM
- 1,667 views
Brain Aging: Men and Women Do It Differently
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Improved structural and functional brain imaging technologies provide assistance in understanding brain gender differences. A Japanese study of the effects of age and gender has been recently published in Human Brain Mapping. The study focussed on brain gray and white matter volumes in a variety of brain regions. Gray matter volumes declined with age in both genders. In the younger subjects, few differences were found between men and women in regional brain volumes. However, as the older age........ Read more »
Takahashi, R., Ishii, K., Kakigi, T., & Yokoyama, K. (2010) Gender and age differences in normal adult human brain: Voxel-based morphometric study. Human Brain Mapping. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.21088
- July 7, 2010
- 05:07 PM
- 1,287 views
Depression as a Risk Factor for Dementia
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Two studies published this week in the journal Neurology add strength to the association between depression and dementia. One study came from the classic Framingham Heart Study database and the second used the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Both studies used depression symptoms as a proxy for the diagnosis of depression. There are some problems with this approach, but is seen a one valid research strategy. I thought I would summarize the two studies with Framingham listed first and (........ Read more »
Dotson VM, Beydoun MA, & Zonderman AB. (2010) Recurrent depressive symptoms and the incidence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Neurology, 75(1), 27-34. PMID: 20603482
- July 5, 2010
- 12:48 PM
- 1,122 views
Parental Age as a Risk Factor for Bipolar Disorder
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Advanced parental age appears to confer increased risk for a variety of clinical neuroscience disorders. First described in Down syndrome, advanced parental age at conception has now been linked to schizophrenia and autism. Effects of advanced parental age on risk have been found for both fathers and mothers. Some disorders appear to have more risk with paternal age while other appear to have more effect with maternal age. The presumed mechanism is sporadic mutations in male germ cells and fe........ Read more »
Menezes PR, Lewis G, Rasmussen F, Zammit S, Sipos A, Harrison GL, Tynelius P, & Gunnell D. (2010) Paternal and maternal ages at conception and risk of bipolar affective disorder in their offspring. Psychological medicine, 40(3), 477-85. PMID: 19627644
- June 30, 2010
- 03:41 PM
- 1,123 views
Treating Insomnia in Depression with CBT-I
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
By Hannah Dunbar(Brain Posts Note: Hannah Dunbar is an Oral Roberts University student posting her last guest post today as part of her summer research project.)Insomnia is a common and pervasive problem in patients suffering from medical and psychiatric illnesses such as, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD) eating disorders and anxiety disorders. Even when the primary psychiatric condition is successfully treated, insomnia commonly fails to remit. Some antidepressant drug cause........ Read more »
SMITH, M., HUANG, M., & MANBER, R. (2005) Cognitive behavior therapy for chronic insomnia occurring within the context of medical and psychiatric disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 25(5), 559-592. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2005.04.004
Edinger JD, Olsen MK, Stechuchak KM, Means MK, Lineberger MD, Kirby A, & Carney CE. (2009) Cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with primary insomnia or insomnia associated predominantly with mixed psychiatric disorders: a randomized clinical trial. Sleep, 32(4), 499-510. PMID: 19413144
- June 22, 2010
- 10:17 PM
- 1,229 views
Cocaine, Cannabis and Sleep Architecture
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
By Hannah Dunbar(Brain Post Note: Hannah Dunbar is a summer research student who attends Oral Roberts University. She is providing some guest posts on her topic of interest--sleep in bipolar disorder). Bipolar disorder commonly is complicated by concurrent illicit substance abuse. Since drugs of abuse have their own effects on sleep it is important to understand these effects. We will review the effects of cocaine and cannabis on sleep. Sleep effects of drugs may be quite different during a........ Read more »
Schierenbeck T, Riemann D, Berger M, & Hornyak M. (2008) Effect of illicit recreational drugs upon sleep: cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana. Sleep medicine reviews, 12(5), 381-9. PMID: 18313952
- June 21, 2010
- 08:23 PM
- 1,060 views
Can an iPhone or other Smartphone Save Your Life?
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Taking a brief break from this blog's focus on clinical neuroscience research I will summarize a recent TED MED presentation by David Pogue. The talk was titled "Can the iPhone Save Your Life?". The presentation was presented live in October of 2009 but just recently became available on the website.David is a key electronics guru and educator with a regular column in the New York Times. He was asked about the potential role for the iPhone and other smart phones in medicine. David has a large........ Read more »
Matsumura K, Yamakoshi T, & Ida T. (2009) Performance measures of alcohol-induced impairment: towards a practical ignition-interlock system for motor vehicles. Perceptual and motor skills, 109(3), 841-50. PMID: 20178284
- June 18, 2010
- 12:05 AM
- 1,361 views
An Old Man Asks "Is My Testosterone Too Low?"
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
I've been interested in the role of testosterone in physical performance, depression and aging for many years. While at the University of Iowa, I was involved in research to detect testosterone doping, the psychological effects of testosterone and the potential for testosterone to alleviate depression in older men. One of the difficult questions facing clinicians is when is testosterone too low in older men. One problem with answering this question is the physiological age-related testostero........ Read more »
Wu, F., Tajar, A., Beynon, J., Pye, S., Silman, A., Finn, J., O'Neill, T., Bartfai, G., Casanueva, F., Forti, G.... (2010) Identification of Late-Onset Hypogonadism in Middle-Aged and Elderly Men. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa0911101
Yates WR, Perry PJ, MacIndoe J, Holman T, & Ellingrod V. (1999) Psychosexual effects of three doses of testosterone cycling in normal men. Biological psychiatry, 45(3), 254-60. PMID: 10023498
- June 16, 2010
- 10:44 AM
- 1,143 views
Sleep Markers Support New Animal Model of Depression
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
By Hannah Dunbar(Hannah Dunbar is an Oral Roberts University student providing a guest post reviewing a study of a mouse model of depression.) Sleep disturbances are one of the most common clinical features in major depression. Patients commonly report problems with insomnia and daytime fatigue and sleepiness. These sleep symptoms have been the source of study in sleep laboratories. Several comparison studies between healthy subjects and major depression document abnormalities in the sleep........ Read more »
Touma C, Fenzl T, Ruschel J, Palme R, Holsboer F, Kimura M, & Landgraf R. (2009) Rhythmicity in mice selected for extremes in stress reactivity: behavioural, endocrine and sleep changes resembling endophenotypes of major depression. PloS one, 4(1). PMID: 19177162
- June 14, 2010
- 10:18 PM
- 1,373 views
Binge Eating Risk Related to BDNF Gene Polymorphism
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Extreme dieting and fasting can increase the risk for binge eating. For some individuals, binge eating seems to be a compensatory mechanism for weight restoration. The variability in binge eating behaviors following food restriction has been unknown. Now, a study suggests brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF) may play a role in binge eating.Akkermann and colleagues from Estonia examined the relationship between BNDF polymorphism status and binge eating behavior. BNDF. BDNF gene alleles a........ Read more »
Akkermann K, Hiio K, Villa I, & Harro J. (2010) Food restriction leads to binge eating dependent upon the effect of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism. Psychiatry research. PMID: 20537407
- June 11, 2010
- 12:06 PM
- 1,243 views
Melatonin Effective for Insomnia in Children with Autism Spectrum
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Sleep problems commonly complicate the management of autism spectrum in children and adults. Behavioral therapy for insomnia can be effective, However, many fail to respond to behavior therapy and clinicians then consider drug treatment options.Wright and colleagues from the UK conducted a clinical trial of melatonin in children with autism spectrum and severe sleep problems. The children in this study failed a behavioral intervention prior to beginning the drug study. This study was remarka........ Read more »
Wright B, Sims D, Smart S, Alwazeer A, Alderson-Day B, Allgar V, Whitton C, Tomlinson H, Bennett S, Jardine J.... (2010) Melatonin Versus Placebo in Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions and Severe Sleep Problems Not Amenable to Behaviour Management Strategies: A Randomised Controlled Crossover Trial. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. PMID: 20535539
- June 9, 2010
- 03:56 PM
- 1,561 views
Understanding the Switch Process in Bipolar Disorder
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
(Brain Post Note: Hannah Dunbar is a summer research student from Oral Roberts University. Today she will be summarizing some of the key issues in the neurobiology of the switch process in bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a somewhat unique mental disorder in that the onset of a mood swing can be quite dramatic--a patient with bipolar disorder can be fine one day and manic the next. It is important to try to understand the pathophysiology behind this rapid switch mechanism.)Introduction:........ Read more »
Salvadore G, Quiroz JA, Machado-Vieira R, Henter ID, Manji HK, & Zarate CA Jr. (2010) The neurobiology of the switch process in bipolar disorder: a review. The Journal of clinical psychiatry. PMID: 20492846
- June 6, 2010
- 09:26 PM
- 1,674 views
Best Drugs for Alcohol Withdrawal
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Alcohol withdrawal is a physically and psychologically painful experience. Some patients with alcohol dependence have physiological tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous. Some will experience withdrawal seizures and death during withdrawal can occur.Treatment of alcohol withdrawal typically involves medication to reduce the effects of detoxification. Benzodiazepines such as Valium (diazepam) or Ativan (lorazepam) typically are effective and routinely used. H........ Read more »
Martinotti G, di Nicola M, Frustaci A, Romanelli R, Tedeschi D, Guglielmo R, Guerriero L, Bruschi A, De Filippis R, Pozzi G.... (2010) Pregabalin, tiapride and lorazepam in alcohol withdrawal syndrome: a multi-centre, randomized, single-blind comparison trial. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 105(2), 288-99. PMID: 20078487
- June 3, 2010
- 05:56 PM
- 1,219 views
Can Statin Drugs Prevent Alzheimer's Disease?
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
In an era of rising numbers of patients with dementia, it is imperative to look for valid prevention strategies. Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia represent the two most common forms of dementia throughout the world. Treating known cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity and diabetes) will likely reduce the risk for vascular dementia. There is some support that use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs in the statin class may also reduce risk of d........ Read more »
Li, G., Shofer, J., Rhew, I., Kukull, W., Peskind, E., McCormick, W., Bowen, J., Schellenberg, G., Crane, P., Breitner, J.... (2010) Age-Varying Association Between Statin Use and Incident Alzheimer's Disease. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02906.x
- May 27, 2010
- 08:09 PM
- 1,030 views
Fixing the Psychiatric Diagnosis Problem: A New Genetic Framework
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Progress in understanding the genetics of common psychiatric disorders has been disappointing. Promising findings commonly cannot be replicated in independent samples. There could be several potential explanations for this scenario.1.) There may be no genetic contributions to risk and findings represent random effects2.) Genetic effects are complex, due to multiple genes or explain only a small amount of the risk variance for the disorders3.) The psychiatric diagnostic categories are inherentl........ Read more »
Deo AJ, Costa R, DeLisi LE, DeSalle R, & Haghighi F. (2010) A novel analytical framework for dissecting the genetic architecture of behavioral symptoms in neuropsychiatric disorders. PloS one, 5(3). PMID: 20300526
- May 26, 2010
- 03:17 PM
- 1,044 views
Is Bipolar Disorder a Circadian Rhythm Problem?
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
By Hannah Dunbar (Brain Post Note: Hannah Dunbar is a Oral Roberts University undergraduate student who is doing a summer research elective with me. She will be providing some guest posts over the next two months related to her interest in sleep and bipolar disorder.) Bipolar disorder is commonly characterized by sleep fluctations and distrubance of a regular circadian rhythm. It is logical to explore the role of circadian clock genes in bipolar disorder genetic studies. Pediatric bipolar dis........ Read more »
McGrath, C., Glatt, S., Sklar, P., Le-Niculescu, H., Kuczenski, R., Doyle, A., Biederman, J., Mick, E., Faraone, S., Niculescu, A.... (2009) Evidence for genetic association of RORB with bipolar disorder. BMC Psychiatry, 9(1), 70. DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-9-70
Ogden CA, Rich ME, Schork NJ, Paulus MP, Geyer MA, Lohr JB, Kuczenski R, & Niculescu AB. (2004) Candidate genes, pathways and mechanisms for bipolar (manic-depressive) and related disorders: an expanded convergent functional genomics approach. Molecular psychiatry, 9(11), 1007-29. PMID: 15314610
- May 24, 2010
- 11:50 AM
- 1,177 views
Anxiety Help Five Cents. The Doctor (Computer) Is In
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
I've always enjoyed the Peanuts cartons featuring Lucy behind the box advertising psychiatric help for five cents. Charlie Brown always received pithy advice for his worries and anxiety. Now a study of anxiety disorder treatment in primary supports a new cost-effective intervention model.Peter Roy-Byrne and colleagues summarized the result of randomized study of 1004 patients with anxiety disorder in primary care. The subjects had at least one of four anxiety disorders: panic disorder, genera........ Read more »
Roy-Byrne, P., Craske, M., Sullivan, G., Rose, R., Edlund, M., Lang, A., Bystritsky, A., Welch, S., Chavira, D., Golinelli, D.... (2010) Delivery of Evidence-Based Treatment for Multiple Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 303(19), 1921-1928. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2010.608
Unützer J, Katon W, Callahan CM, Williams JW Jr, Hunkeler E, Harpole L, Hoffing M, Della Penna RD, Noël PH, Lin EH.... (2002) Collaborative care management of late-life depression in the primary care setting: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association, 288(22), 2836-45. PMID: 12472325
Craske MG, Rose RD, Lang A, Welch SS, Campbell-Sills L, Sullivan G, Sherbourne C, Bystritsky A, Stein MB, & Roy-Byrne PP. (2009) Computer-assisted delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders in primary-care settings. Depression and anxiety, 26(3), 235-42. PMID: 19212970
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