Umoya05

From personality to neuropsychiatric disorders, individual differences in brain function are known to have a strong heritable component. Here we report that between close relatives, a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders covary strongly with intellectual interests. We surveyed an entire class of high-functioning young adults at an elite university for prospective major, familial incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders, and demographic and attitudinal questions. Students aspiring to technical majors (science/mathematics/engineering) were more likely than other students to report a sibling with an autism spectrum disorder (p = 0.037). Conversely, students interested in the humanities were more likely to report a family member with major depressive disorder (p = 8.8×10−4), bipolar disorder (p = 0.027), or substance abuse problems (p = 1.9×10−6). A combined PREdisposition for Subject MattEr (PRESUME) score based on these disorders was strongly predictive of subject matter interests (p = 9.6×10−8). Our results suggest that shared genetic (and perhaps environmental) factors may both predispose for heritable neuropsychiatric disorders and influence the development of intellectual interests.

 

From Full Text reports

The Guardian and the London School of Economics will work together on the first empirical study into the rioting and looting

In support of World Mental Health Day, held annually on 10 October to raise public awareness about mental health issues worldwide, Emerald Group Publishing is providing free access to its complete collection of health and social care journals. In total, 22 journals can be read online from 10 October for a period of two weeks. Visit www.emeraldinsight.com/tk/wmhd2011 with username: WMHD2011 and password: emerald

From Peter Scott's Library blog

with Dr Peter Williams-Ashman and Suzanne Leighton

 Valkenberg Hospital’s weekly lunchtime lecture

Personal Recovery and Mental Health

 Peter will give a broad overview of the concept of recovery for people experiencing mental health problems.

Suzanne will share insights gained from her own journey with bipolar affective disorder and approaches developed for living with hope and meaning.

Facilitators:

Dr Peter Williams-Ashman [MBBCh(Wits), FCPsych(SA)] is a psychiatrist from the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UCT. Working from Valkenberg Hospital, he is responsible for outreach services.

Suzanne Leighton [BSc. (UCT), MSc. (WITS), PMP (USA)] is a complementary therapist with special interest in mental health. With clients she uses various modalities including counselling combined with massage, support groups and awareness workshops to reduce the mystery and stigma.

Date: Tuesday 27 September 2011

Time: 12h45 to 13h45

Venue: Valkenberg Hospital, Auditorium, Education Centre

Cost: No cost, all welcome.

RSVP: To bipolarworkshop@gmail.com for numbers

In Europe, 16 new designer drugs are being monitored, while in Japan the figure is 51. "Given the health risks posed by the abuse of designer drugs, we urge Governments to adopt national control measures to prevent the manufacture of, trafficking in and abuse of these substances," says Hamid Ghodse, President of the Board.

The report explores how corruption undermines the fight against drug trafficking and compromises the very authorities established to control and suppress such trafficking - police and justice officials often facing tremendous pressure from organized crime when working to prevent drug trafficking - and underscores the need to accord greater priority to the prevention of corruption.

According to a special supplement to the report, licit drugs needed for medical treatment are not readily available in all parts of the world. More than 80 per cent of the world's population has insufficient or no access to pain relief drugs and millions suffer unnecessary pain as a result. The Board urges Governments to take action, inter alia, to collect statistical data on licit drug requirements, adapt national legislation and improve education and training.

The report also provides a breakdown of drug production, trafficking and abuse patterns in the various regions of the world. Western Europe represents the world's largest market for heroin, approximately 60 per cent of regional consumption being accounted for by four countries in that subregion (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom). The report indicates that cocaine trafficking through Africa to Europe, having decreased in 2008 and 2009, is now on the rise again, as evidenced by several large-scale seizures in 2010.

( View full report and related information)

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is an independent body responsible for monitoring implementation of the international drug control conventions. It was established in 1968 in accordance with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. The annual reports of INCB, based on the Board's activities, provide a comprehensive review of the drug control situation in various parts of the world. As an impartial body, INCB tries to identify and predict dangerous trends and recommends measures to be taken in response to those trends.

13 September 2011 - According to the latest report published by UNODC, amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as "ecstasy" and methamphetamine now rank as the world's second most widely abused drug type after cannabis. The report - the 2011 Global ATS Assessment - notes that the expansion of illicit trade in such substances and the high profits generated by that trade pose an increasing threat to security and health worldwide.

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2011/September/ats-second-most-used-drug-type-in-the-world.html?ref=fs2

Coffee Break? Walk in the Park? Why Unwinding Is Hard
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904199404576538260326965724.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_health

Why You Can't Make a Good Decision at 5:00PM
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/08/18/why-you-cant-make-a-good-decision-at-500-pm-decision-fatigue/

Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? [Free registration may be required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?_r=1

Fatigue: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003088.htm

Video: Need to relax? Take a Break for Meditation
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/MM00623

Sleep Tips: 7 Steps to Better Sleep
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep/HQ01387

During high-pressure times, it may be tempting to take a break or step outside for a stroll to think things over. Is this the best idea? Should we perhaps just power through until we've completed the task at hand? The brain certainly does get fatigued after working long periods of time. Researchers are currently looking into which types of breaks and circumstances may best adequately refresh and revitalize the brain's functioning. In this Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, journalist Shirley S. Wang reports on the current research into this area of scientific inquiry. She reports that a team of researchers at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto is currently studying whether interacting with nature can be therapeutic for people with disorders including depression and anxiety. Their work is building on findings done by another team of researchers at the University of Michigan that showed performance on memory and attention tests improved by 20% after study subjects paused for a walk through an arboretum. The same team noted that these cognitive benefits did not occur when subjects walked along a busy city street for the same amount of time. The researchers have noted that nature images engage humans' involuntary attention, which is activated when our minds are drawn to something interesting but doesn't really require intense focus. With a busy city street, humans must rely on directed attention, as there may be aggressive dogs around or intense vehicular traffic to think about. It's rather interesting work, and currently researchers at the University of Bristol are also looking into how the traditional "coffee break" may or may not help with mental fatigue. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to the previously mentioned Wall Street Journal article from August 30th. The second link will lead users along to a blog post by John M. Grohol, the founder and editor-in-chief of PsychCentral. In this post he talks about the nature of decision fatigue and why making important decisions late in the day can be very difficult. Moving along, the third link will whisk visitors away to a recent piece by John Tierney that appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. In this rather interesting piece, Tierney looks into the science of decision fatigue. The fourth link leads to a most helpful set of resources on the physiological nature of fatigue and its treatment from the Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia. The final two links are from the Mayo Clinic and the first of those reveals how to take a break with a bit of meditation. The second leads users to a helpful piece with seven steps to getting better sleep. [KMG]

From The Scout Report

 From The Scout Report

Publisher: Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town

Created by a dedicated team at the Society for Neuroscience, the Neuroscience Education Resources Virtual Encycloportal (NERVE) website was created to provide educators with information and tools for teaching about the nervous system and related health issues. First-time visitors should click on the "How to Search" tab to get started. From here, visitors can select one of nine themes. The themes here include "Anatomy of the Brain and Nervous System", "Brain Basics", and "Neuroscientists at Work". Visitors can also specify their audience and the format here, and it will help refine their search. The "Brain Basics" area is particularly well-developed and it contains over 100 resources that feature Flash movies detailing the electrical activity in the brain and articles from BioEd about the functioning of the brain. [KMG] http://www.ndgo.net/sfn/nerve/ 

From Scout Report 

Abstract:

Is the Internet Bad for Our Brains? The Answer Is Subtle and Complex, But Quite Reassuring

The Nominet Trust is a UK-based charity with the mission to “support initiatives that contribute to a safe and accessible Internet, used to improve lives and communities.” Recently, they published a report entitled, “The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Wellbeing.” It’s published as a PDF, one that is so well-designed that it’s quite digestible on-screen.Posted on  Scholarly Kitchen by Kent Anderson

Click on the link to open the full-text of the report

The World Drug Report 2011 was launched today by the (UNODC).

 The report starts with an overview of the illicit drug situation worldwide and regionally, followed by more comprehensive discussions and statistical trends for the key transnational drug markets, namely opium/heroin, coca/cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants and cannabis. Visit the website and download the report (full report, pdf). From UN Pulse:   Permanent Link: World Drug Report 2011  

Secondhand smoke has a direct, measurable impact on the brain similar to what’s seen in the person doing the smoking, according to a new study. The finding highlights the importance of limiting exposure to secondhand smoke in cars and other enclosed spaces.

...

A team led by Dr. Arthur Brody of the University of California, Los Angeles, set out to study how secondhand smoke affects the human brain. They used an imaging technique to visualize when nicotine occupies brain nAChRs. The method depends on a special tracer molecule that binds specifically to nAChRs and can be detected by positron emission tomography (PET). Nicotine displaces the tracer molecule at the receptor, so the more nicotine that binds to nAChRs, the lower the tracer signals.

...

The researchers found that about 1 in 5 nAChRs in the brains of both smokers and non-smokers became occupied by nicotine after 1 hour of exposure to secondhand smoke. The smokers also had a significant increase in craving following exposure to secondhand smoke.

“These results show that even limited secondhand smoke exposure delivers enough nicotine to the brain to alter its function,” says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. “Chronic or severe exposure could result in even higher brain nicotine levels, which may explain why secondhand smoke exposure increases vulnerability to nicotine addiction.”

National Institutes of Health