| NIMH | Recent Updates |
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Blog Post » From Paresis to PANDAS and PANS
The idea that mental disorders could be due to infection is not new, but remains surprisingly difficult to accept. Just as what was once called “general paresis” ultimately was shown to be caused by syphilis and curable with antibiotics, some cases of sudden onset pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder are traceable to strep and respond to immune-based treatments. A proposed broader syndrome would include those with similar symptom but no clear link to strep.
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Blog Post » Autism Prevalence: More Affected or More Detected?
Autism is always surprising. What was once considered a rare disorder is now reported as affecting 1 in 88 children, 1 in 54 boys. Do these new numbers, up 78 percent from 2002 and 23 percent from 2006, reflect a growing problem—an epidemic—or an improvement in our ability to diagnose and serve those affected?
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Science News » Agent Reduces Autism-like Behaviors in Mice
Autism-like behaviors in mice have been reduced, using an experimental agent being tested in patients for a related disorder.
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Blog Post » Spotlight on Eating Disorders
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week starts February 26. Dr. Insel discusses some surprising facts about these disorders, which are among the most fatal.
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Meeting Summary (Outreach) » Alliance for Research Progress — February 10, 2012 Meeting
Summary for the February 2012 meeting of the Alliance for Research Progress.
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Science News » Spontaneous Gene Glitches Linked to Autism Risk with Older Dads
A trio of new studies have found that sequence changes in parts of genes that code for proteins play a significant role in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
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Blog Post » The New Genetics of Autism – Why Environment Matters
Dr. Insel discusses how new research may help tie together seemingly disparate findings in genetic vs environmental risk factors in autism spectrum disorders.
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Science News » Pattern Recognition Technology May Help Predict Future Mental Illness in Teens
Computer programs that automatically spot patterns in data may help predict a person’s risk for future mental disorders.
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Blog Post » Join the Revolution
Dr. Insel discusses the state of science and math education in the U.S., scientific literacy, and Brain Awareness Week.
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Science News » Gene Regulator in Brain’s Executive Hub Tracked Across Lifespan – NIH study
For the first time, scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain’s executive hub. Among key findings of the study by National Institutes of Health scientists: genes implicated in schizophrenia and autism turn out to be members of a select club of genes in which regulatory activity peaks during an environmentally-sensitive critical period in development.
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