All posts; Tags Include "Clinical Psychology"
- November 5, 2014
- 12:19 PM
- 825 views
Anorexia Nervosa as a Disorder of Perception
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
A key feature in anorexia nervosa is the disturbance in perception of the body.This perceptual disturbance is encapsulated in criteria 3 from DSM-5: "Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low weight" Santino Guadio from Italy and colleagues recently published a nice summary of the support for body image disturbance in anorexia nervosa. This study focused ........ Read more »
Gaudio S, Brooks SJ, & Riva G. (2014) Nonvisual multisensory impairment of body perception in anorexia nervosa: a systematic review of neuropsychological studies. PloS one, 9(10). PMID: 25303480
- November 4, 2014
- 10:52 AM
- 840 views
Anorexia Nervosa: Fasting and Starvation Brain Effects
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Brain research in anorexia nervosa presents several challenges.Current knowledge of cognitive function in anorexia supports impairment in set shifting and global brain processing or central coherence.However, there are two issues that complicate understanding the underlying brain effects in anorexia nervosa.First, individuals with anorexia nervosa often have additional anxiety and mood disorders. It can be difficult to tease out the specific effects of anorexia nervosa from the effects of these ........ Read more »
Pender, S., Gilbert, S., & Serpell, L. (2014) The Neuropsychology of Starvation: Set-Shifting and Central Coherence in a Fasted Nonclinical Sample. PLoS ONE, 9(10). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110743
Billingsley-Marshall RL, Basso MR, Lund BC, Hernandez ER, Johnson CL, Drevets WC, McKee PA, & Yates WR. (2013) Executive function in eating disorders: the role of state anxiety. The International journal of eating disorders, 46(4), 316-21. PMID: 23354876
- October 30, 2014
- 11:20 AM
- 964 views
Alcoholism as a Reward System Dysfunction
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Alcoholism and other addictive behaviors often occur together within individual patients.For example, individuals with alcoholism commonly also are smokers and meet criteria for a diagnosis of nicotine dependence.This co-occurrence suggests multiple types of addiction may share genetic and environmental risk factors. Additionally, there might be a common neurobiological mechanism in play for many addictions.Kenneth Blum and other leading alcoholism researchers recently published a review that pr........ Read more »
Blum K, Febo M, McLaughlin T, Cronjé FJ, Han D, & Gold SM. (2014) Hatching the behavioral addiction egg: Reward Deficiency Solution System (RDSS)™ as a function of dopaminergic neurogenetics and brain functional connectivity linking all addictions under a common rubric. Journal of behavioral addictions, 3(3), 149-56. PMID: 25317338
- October 23, 2014
- 10:20 AM
- 902 views
Smartphone App Boosts Alcoholism Treatment Outcome
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Smartphone apps and other mobile technology are emerging as promising tools in medical treatment.A recent randomized study published in JAMA Psychiatry found evidence that a smartphone app improves alcoholism treatment outcomes.David Gustafson and colleagues conducted a study funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.A series of 349 adults with DSM-IV alcohol dependence were enrolled as they entered a alcoholism residential treatment program.Approximately half of the subje........ Read more »
Gustafson DH, McTavish FM, Chih MY, Atwood AK, Johnson RA, Boyle MG, Levy MS, Driscoll H, Chisholm SM, Dillenburg L.... (2014) A smartphone application to support recovery from alcoholism: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 71(5), 566-72. PMID: 24671165
- October 21, 2014
- 11:25 AM
- 741 views
Sleep Problems in Alcoholism Treatment
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
In a previous post, I summarized a research study six month outcome of insomnia in a group of subjects treated for alcoholism.This study found a high persistence of insomnia despite reduction, and in many cases abstinence, from alcohol.A second study recently published by investigators at the National Institute of Health provides some additional insight into this topic.Gwenyth Wallen and colleagues studied a series of 164 participants admitted to a 4-6 week inpatient program for alcohol dependen........ Read more »
Wallen GR, Brooks AT, Whiting B, Clark R, Krumlauf MC, Yang L, Schwandt ML, George DT, & Ramchandani VA. (2014) The prevalence of sleep disturbance in alcoholics admitted for treatment: a target for chronic disease management. Family , 37(4), 288-97. PMID: 25167069
- October 20, 2014
- 10:56 AM
- 833 views
Persistent Insomnia and Alcoholism
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Sleep problems complicate the treatment and recovery in alcoholism. Heavy alcohol consumption modifies the nature of sleep architecture.A high blood alcohol concentration at bedtime may promote sleep early in the sleep cycle.However, as alcohol levels decline, sleep is often interrupted with limiting rapid eye movement (REM) sleep duration.Shortened total sleep time with alcohol can produce a lack of feeling well rested on awakening.For those with alcoholism or alcohol dependence, successfu........ Read more »
Brower KJ, Krentzman A, & Robinson EA. (2011) Persistent insomnia, abstinence, and moderate drinking in alcohol-dependent individuals. The American journal on addictions / American Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism and Addictions, 20(5), 435-40. PMID: 21838842
- October 16, 2014
- 02:03 AM
- 597 views
JUST PUBLISHED: Resilience and Responses to Persistent Pain
by Mark Rubin in The University of Newcastle's School of Psychology Newsline
The concept of resilience is of considerable interest in clinical practice. The resilient person shows relatively speedy recovery from a disturbance and an ability to resume their former work practices, habits and normal life. In addition, they are able to maintain that recovery over the long-term.The maintenance of recovery is of particular interest in patients suffering from chronic pain, since the presence of persistent pain leads to a raft of behavioural and cognitive changes all........ Read more »
Newton-John TR, Mason C, & Hunter M. (2014) The role of resilience in adjustment and coping with chronic pain. Rehabilitation psychology, 59(3), 360-5. PMID: 25019306
- October 7, 2014
- 04:21 PM
- 750 views
Personality, Emotion and Psychopathology: David Watson Lecture Notes
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
I had the privilege to attend today the William K Warren Frontiers in Neuroscience Conference in Tulsa, OK by Dr. David Watson from Notre Dame University.Dr. Watson's lecture was titled: An integrative model of personality, emotion and psychopathology. This lecture summarized a body of research examining personality, psychological symptoms and a variety of brain disorders.Here are my lecture notes and links to relevant research citations. The first two citations have links to a free full-te........ Read more »
Stasik SM, Naragon-Gainey K, Chmielewski M, & Watson D. (2012) Core OCD symptoms: exploration of specificity and relations with psychopathology. Journal of anxiety disorders, 26(8), 859-70. PMID: 23026094
- October 2, 2014
- 11:01 AM
- 701 views
Parenting: Genetics and Environmental Effects
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Effective parenting is a key element in child development.Both genetic and environmental factors appear to contribute to the cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects of parenting.Childhood temperament also influences the process of parenting. A well-behaved, emotionally stable and loving child is obviously much easier to parent than a child with behavioral and emotional problems.Bonamy Oliver and colleagues from the United Kingdom have recently published an informative twin study of pare........ Read more »
Oliver BR, Trzaskowski M, & Plomin R. (2014) Genetics of parenting: The power of the dark side. Developmental psychology, 50(4), 1233-40. PMID: 24364831
- September 29, 2014
- 10:32 AM
- 963 views
Family Attachment and the Brain Cingulate Cortex
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Healthy family attachment provides a key element for social support and successful interpersonal relationships.Several brain regions as well as hormonal factors appear to modulate positive emotional responses to family members.I have previously reviewed several studies involving the prosocial effects of the hormone oxytocin and the related hormone vasopressin.Nicolas Rusch from the Department of Psychiatry at Ulm University in Germany along with colleagues in Brazil and London recently published........ Read more »
Rüsch N, Bado P, Zahn R, Bramati IE, de Oliveira-Souza R, & Moll J. (2014) You and your kin: Neural signatures of family-based group perception in the subgenual cortex. Social neuroscience, 9(4), 326-31. PMID: 24802255
- September 24, 2014
- 12:37 PM
- 730 views
Why Women Give Better Gifts
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Consumer spending on gifts for birthdays and holidays is a multi-billion dollar big business.Despite this large economic impact, little research examines factors associated with gift recipient satisfaction.Selecting good gifts for others involves a complex social decision-making process related to judging the value hierarchy of others.A study from the Netherlands recently published in the journal PLOS One featured three experiments on gift selection in a series of men and women.The design of the........ Read more »
Pollmann MM, & van Beest I. (2013) Women are better at selecting gifts than men. PloS one, 8(12). PMID: 24386082
- September 18, 2014
- 11:11 AM
- 886 views
Genetics of Social Skills: Oxytocin Receptor Gene
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Social neuroscience is an emerging emphasis in the field of neuroscience research.Social cognition is the subset of cognitive functions related to social processes and includes factors such as facial recognition, social memory and ability to form friendships and other social bonds.Impairment in social cognition is a known feature in autism, schizophrenia and other mental disorders. This type of impairment can produce significant problems in life adjustment, employment and human attachment.Geneti........ Read more »
Skuse DH, Lori A, Cubells JF, Lee I, Conneely KN, Puura K, Lehtimäki T, Binder EB, & Young LJ. (2014) Common polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is associated with human social recognition skills. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(5), 1987-92. PMID: 24367110
- September 17, 2014
- 11:28 AM
- 678 views
Antidepressants Modulate Memory in the Healthy Brain
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
The mechanism of antidepressant drug response is not well understood.One theory posits antidepressant effects are only seen in those with clinical depression leaving the healthy brain unchanged.In a previous post, I outlined a study demonstrating effects of antidepressants on brain connectivity measures in the healthy brain.A recent fMRI study extends our understanding of the potential mechanisms for antidepressant drugs.CT Cerqueira and colleagues from Brazil studied the effects of the antidepr........ Read more »
Cerqueira CT, Sato JR, de Almeida JR, Amaro E Jr, Leite CC, Gorenstein C, Gentil V, & Busatto GF. (2014) Healthy individuals treated with clomipramine: an fMRI study of brain activity during autobiographical recall of emotions. Translational psychiatry. PMID: 24984192
- September 16, 2014
- 11:01 AM
- 704 views
Cannabis-induced Paranoia: Cognitive Mechanisms
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Some individuals appear vulnerable to paranoia induced by exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis.The mechanism for this effect is poorly understood.Daniel Freeman from University of Oxford along with colleagues in England and Switzerland recently conducted an interventional research study on this issue.In this study, 121 subjects were recruited to receive injections of THC in a laboratory setting.These subjects were required to have taken cannabis at least once before participation i........ Read more »
Freeman D, Dunn G, Murray RM, Evans N, Lister R, Antley A, Slater M, Godlewska B, Cornish R, Williams J.... (2014) How Cannabis Causes Paranoia: Using the Intravenous Administration of ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to Identify Key Cognitive Mechanisms Leading to Paranoia. Schizophrenia bulletin. PMID: 25031222
- September 14, 2014
- 06:57 PM
- 947 views
JUST PUBLISHED: The Dance of Communication: Retaining Family Membership Despite Non-Speech Dementia
by Mark Rubin in The University of Newcastle's School of Psychology Newsline
As the majority of people in developed countries will be touched in some way by dementia in the 21st century, current ways of interacting in dementia care may no longer be acceptable. In particular, when people with dementia appear uncommunicative, their retained awareness and ability to interact is often dismissed or overlooked. Facing social isolation and further decline, many languish with unmet needs for human interaction. However, the intimacies of family interaction in dementia care settin........ Read more »
Walmsley, B., & McCormack, L. (2013) The dance of communication: Retaining family membership despite severe non-speech dementia. Dementia, 13(5), 626-641. DOI: 10.1177/1471301213480359
- August 28, 2014
- 11:40 AM
- 855 views
Gambler Sub-types: Three Distinct Profiles
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
One method to advance understanding of a disorder is to use statistical modeling for sub-type or class analysis.Lia Nower and colleagues recently published the results of such an analysis from the large general population data-set known as the U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).In this sample, 851 adults 18 years and older were identified with disordered gambling.This group then underwent a type of latent class statistical analysis known as the Pathways........ Read more »
Nower L, Martins SS, Lin KH, & Blanco C. (2013) Subtypes of disordered gamblers: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 108(4), 789-98. PMID: 23072599
- August 27, 2014
- 10:58 AM
- 778 views
Diagnostic Profile in Pathological Gamblers
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Behavioral disorders like pathological gambling (PG) rarely occur alone as a single uncomplicated disorder.In a previous post, I noted the overlap of PG with personality disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar disorder and substance abuse.A recent study from Germany adds to our knowledge of the general diagnostic profile in the PG population.Erbas and Buchner reviewed German national data sources and other German studies to come up with a series of findings:Twelve month prevalence rates ........ Read more »
Erbas B, & Buchner UG. (2012) Pathological gambling: prevalence, diagnosis, comorbidity, and intervention in Germany. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 109(10), 173-9. PMID: 22470406
- August 18, 2014
- 10:16 AM
- 749 views
Guidelines for Treatment of Problem Gambling
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Despite the prevalence and impact of problem gambling, few summaries or guidelines address treatment.Searching the guideline.gov website shows no recent additions to the guideline literature.A guideline was published by the Singapore Ministry of Health in 2011. This guideline is still relevant and highlights some of the key elements of a problem gambling treatment program.I will summarize some of these key elements from this source titled: "Management of gambling disorders". In their summa........ Read more »
Lee KM, Chan HN, Cheah B, Gentica GF, Guo S, Lim HK, Lim YC, Noorul F, Tan HS, Teo P.... (2011) Ministry of Health clinical practice guidelines: management of gambling disorders. Singapore medical journal, 52(6), 456. PMID: 21732000
- August 14, 2014
- 02:00 PM
- 1,512 views
Dying To Make Us Laugh
by Mark E. Lasbury in The 'Scope
Robin William’s suicide was a tragic, but all too familiar happening amongst humorists of this period. New research is showing that comedians, performers in the arts, and even people with better senses of humor are prone to more health problems as adults. Depression , cardiovascular, pulmonary and stress related problem are not uncommon in comedians, and even children and adults that have better sense of humor are susceptible to obesity and cardiovascular disease.
The irony is that t........ Read more »
C.R. Epstein, R.J. Epstein. (2013) Death in The New York Times: the price of fame is a faster flame . QJM: monthly journal of the Association of Physicians, 106(6), 517-521. info:/
Greengross G. (2013) Humor and aging - a mini-review. Gerontology, 59(5), 448-53. PMID: 23689078
Ferner RE, & Aronson JK. (2013) Laughter and MIRTH (Methodical Investigation of Risibility, Therapeutic and Harmful): narrative synthesis. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). PMID: 24336308
Bennett MP, & Lengacher C. (2009) Humor and Laughter May Influence Health IV. Humor and Immune Function. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 6(2), 159-64. PMID: 18955287
- August 14, 2014
- 11:17 AM
- 943 views
FDA Approves Novel Insomnia Drug Suvorexant (Belsomra)
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Regular readers of this blog had a heads up last year on the development of orexin receptor antagonists for the treatment of insomnia.I posted a review of an Italian clinical drug trial in humans with insomnia paired with polysomnography. This study used three different doses of a orexin receptor antagonist (10 mg 30 mg and 60 mg).In a second post, I reviewed a sleep lab study of the effects of an orexin antagonist drug compared to zolpidem (Ambien) on sleep architecture.This second study found ........ Read more »
Michelson D, Snyder E, Paradis E, Chengan-Liu M, Snavely DB, Hutzelmann J, Walsh JK, Krystal AD, Benca RM, Cohn M.... (2014) Safety and efficacy of suvorexant during 1-year treatment of insomnia with subsequent abrupt treatment discontinuation: a phase 3 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet neurology, 13(5), 461-71. PMID: 24680372
Bennett T, Bray D, & Neville MW. (2014) Suvorexant, a dual orexin receptor antagonist for the management of insomnia. P , 39(4), 264-6. PMID: 24757363
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