Mental Health

Supplements and behavioural therapy make safe headway with Parkinson's
"Our review showed the pooled effect of antidepressants in PD, while statistically non-significant, was large, suggesting they are beneficial," she says.

In terms of non-pharmacological treatments, both Omega-3 supplementation and CBT had significant effects on depression, and CBT showed an additional secondary effect on anxiety. MedicalXpress

New evidence shows how chronic stress predisposes brain to mental disorders
In a series of experiments, Daniela Kaufer, UC Berkeley associate professor of integrative biology, and her colleagues, including graduate students Sundari Chetty and Aaron Freidman, discovered that chronic stress generates more myelin-producing cells and fewer neurons than normal. This results in an excess of myelin – and thus, white matter – in some areas of the brain, which disrupts the delicate balance and timing of communication within the brain. University of California, Berkeley

Smoking Cessation's Mental Health Benefits Rival Those of Antidepressants
Smoking cessation is associated with improved mental health, even among patients with psychiatric conditions, according to a BMJ meta-analysis. Journal Watch

Impaired recovery from inflammation linked to Alzheimer's
New research from Karolinska Institutet shows that the final stage of the normal inflammatory process may be disrupted in patients with Alzheimer's disease. A study published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia shows that levels in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid of the molecules necessary for tissue recovery through the clearance of harmful inflammatory substances are lower than normal in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The study also showed association between the lower levels of these molecules with impaired memory function. Karolinska Institutet

Penn study: Topiramate reduces heavy drinking in patients seeking to cut down on alcohol consumption
The study has important implications for the personalized treatment of heavy drinking. Analysis showed that only individuals with a specific genotype found in 40 percent of European-Americans benefitted from treatment with topiramate. The genotype involves two copies of a variant in the gene encoding a subunit of the receptor for an excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter, glutamate. This study, by virtue of showing that only individuals with a certain form of the kainate (glutamate) receptor reduced drinking with topiramate treatment, indicates that this receptor plays a key role in topiramate's effects on drinking. Because topiramate interacts with multiple neurotransmitter and enzyme systems, this provides a specific target for the development of medications to reduce heavy drinking. Targeting this receptor could yield the greatest therapeutic effect in heavy drinkers, while reducing topiramate's common side effects, which include fatigue, dizziness, and memory problems. Eurekalert!