Science News

Gene Knockout Unleashes Manic Mouse

April 5, 2007 • Science Update
Mice engineered to lack a specific gene showed behaviors similar to human mania in a study funded in part by NIMH; they were hyperactive, slept less, appeared less depressed and anxious, and craved sugar, cocaine and pleasure stimulation.

Scientists Switch Neurons On and Off Using Light

April 5, 2007 • Science Update
Researchers have invented a genetically-engineered way to turn the electrical impulses of brain cells on and off with pulses of blue and yellow light — in synch with the split-second pace of real time neuronal activity.

Intensive Psychotherapy More Effective Than Brief Therapy for Treating Bipolar Depression

April 2, 2007 • Press Release
Patients taking medications to treat bipolar disorder are more likely to get well faster and stay well if they receive intensive psychotherapy, according to results from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), funded by NIMH.

Study Sheds Light on Medication Treatment Options for Bipolar Disorder

March 28, 2007 • Press Release
For depressed people with bipolar disorder who are taking a mood stabilizer, adding an antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), according to results published online on March 28, 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Tiny, Spontaneous Gene Mutations May Boost Autism Risk

March 15, 2007 • Press Release
Tiny gene mutations, each individually rare, pose more risk for autism than had been previously thought, suggests a study funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Adolescent Brains Show Lower Activity in Areas That Control Risky Choices

March 15, 2007 • Science Update
A new NIMH study could help explain why adolescents are so prone to make risky choices. When contemplating risky decisions, they show less activity in regions of the brain that regulate processes involved in decision-making, compared with adults.

Depression Risk Higher in Girls with Low Birth Weight

March 9, 2007 • Science Update
irls’ risk for developing depression after puberty increased significantly if they had low birth weight, in a study funded in part by NIMH.

HIV Treatment May Help Reduce Severity of Mental Impairment in Children with HIV Infection

March 7, 2007 • Science Update
During the first few years of life, children born with HIV infection are most susceptible to central nervous system (CNS) disease, and can develop impaired cognitive, language, motor and behavioral functioning.

Global Use of ADHD Medications Rises Dramatically

March 6, 2007 • Science Update
Global use of medications that treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nearly tripled from 1993 to 2003, and spending on the drugs rose nine-fold, according to a study co-funded by NIMH and published in the March/April 2007 issue of Health Affairs.

African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and Whites Differ in Depression Risk, Treatment

March 5, 2007 • Science Update
Although black Americans are less likely than whites to have a major depressive disorder (MDD), when they do, it tends to be more chronic and severe.

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The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.