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Posts

March 15, 2013

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10:12 AM | Autism, maternal immune activated mice and suramin
Avid followers of the autism research circuit must have noticed the increasing tide of studies looking at a possible role for maternal immune activation (MIA) in relation to risk of offspring autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It's a topic I've covered more than once on this blog; predominantly in relation to the work of people like Paul Patterson and his colleagues (see here), observations on things like C-reactive protein (see here) and the various ways to experimentally mimic such MIA in the […]

Schwartzer JJ, Careaga M, Onore CE, Rushakoff JA, Berman RF & Ashwood P (2013). Maternal immune activation and strain specific interactions in the development of autism-like behaviors in mice., Translational psychiatry, 3 PMID:

Naviaux, R., Zolkipli, Z., Wang, L., Nakayama, T., Naviaux, J., Le, T., Schuchbauer, M., Rogac, M., Tang, Q., Dugan, L. & Powell, S. (2013). Antipurinergic Therapy Corrects the Autism-Like Features in the Poly(IC) Mouse Model, PLoS ONE, 8 (3) DOI:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
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March 14, 2013

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9:46 PM | A Look at Language and Speech in the Three Structure Model. Integration in Neuroscience: A Core Problem – Part 10
In the three structure model we have previously focused on the conscious and unconscious aspects of the model (see the Appendix). In this post I will look at language and speech in relation to conscious experience and unconscious activity. The diagram below illustrates the relationships to be discussed.   A Three Structure Model of Neural [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

March 13, 2013

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11:02 PM | Looking at a Reference Manager: A Brief Look at Mendeley
  Reference managers are software solutions that help you to manage academic references. This is perhaps an oversimplification as there are many types of reference manager with subtle differences between them. The Wikipedia site has a very useful article outlining the many different solutions available. In a previous series of posts we looked at PubMed [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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4:12 PM | Compliments only, please
Sci is posting over at SciAm today to help promote the new area of the SciAm Blogs: SciAm MIND! It’s great to see so much interest placed on all things brain, and I look forward to posting as part of the group. Make sure to check out all of the new bloggers, and of course [...]
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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9:32 AM | Just say NO to sapropterin for autism
Actually the title of this post is a bit of a misnomer.I'm not really asking readers to say 'no' to sapropterin, otherwise known as tetrahydrobiopterin or BH4, for autism as if it were some kind of Zammo-esque drugs in the toilet scenario (note: for anyone born post-Grange Hill golden era or for my non-UK readers, you might want to follow this link to see what I'm going on about). But neither am I saying yes, as per my prime directive on this blog: no medical or clinical advice given or […]

Frye RE, Delatorre R, Taylor HB, Slattery J, Melnyk S, Chowdhury N & James SJ (2013). Metabolic effects of sapropterin treatment in autism spectrum disorder: a preliminary study., Translational psychiatry, 3 PMID:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
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4:04 AM | Avoiding Refeeding Syndrome in Anorexia Nervosa
Refeeding syndrome (RS) is a rare but potentially fatal condition that can occur during refeeding of severely malnourished individuals (such as anorexia nervosa patients). After prolonged starvation, the body begins to use  fat and protein to produce energy because there are not enough carbohydrates. Upon refeeding, there’s a surge of insulin (because of the ingested carbohydrates) and a sudden shift from fat to carbohydrate metabolism. This sudden shift can lead to a whole set of […]
Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

March 12, 2013

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10:53 PM | Brain Awareness Week (March 11th-17th 2013)
Brain Awareness Week runs from March 11th to the 17th 2013. Brain Awareness Week was started by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in 1996. The main Dana Foundation pages here and here are self-explanatory. There are a series of events around the world to celebrate Brain Awareness Week and those interested in registering as [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

March 11, 2013

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11:03 PM | GABA Receptors and Emotions: Building a Model of the Insular Cortex – Part 12
In this post we will look at the original open model of the Insular Cortex and its role in emotional regulation. In part 11 there is a summary of the posts in this series which look at the relationship between the Insular Cortex and emotional regulation. The diagram above illustrates the main themes in the [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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2:17 PM | Auti-sim: An attempt to simulate sensory overload in autism
Autism is a complex phenomenon with an extremely broad spectrum of effects that vary in every individual, a new interactive simulator aims to provide only a hint at what it is like to experience just one symptom of autism - sensory overload.  To try the simulator for yourself click here. Use ...Read More
Neurobonkers | Big Think
Psychiatry | Psychology
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9:49 AM | Inflammatory bowel disease in autism: distinctive features?
Where to start with this very long post... where to start?That autism, some cases of autism, also coincide with various comorbidities sometimes including severe gastrointestinal (GI) issues is a relatively undisputed finding these days. I'm actually getting a little bored of saying this myself on this blog and I'm sure some readers are getting bored of hearing it too.Health inequalityLymphocytic infiltration @ Wikipedia  The reason why I continue to keep hammering away at this line however […]

Walker, S., Fortunato, J., Gonzalez, L. & Krigsman, A. (2013). Identification of Unique Gene Expression Profile in Children with Regressive Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Ileocolitis, PLoS ONE, 8 (3) DOI:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
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5:57 AM | Plants give bees a caffeine buzz
We humans love us some caffeine. The mild stimulant have saved many a student, parent, and hard working adult from nodding over their desks. And it’s a natural product of plants like the coffee plant and the tea bush. But the question is, why do these plants have it in the first place? It turns [...]
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

March 09, 2013

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11:40 PM | DSM-V in Progress and Hypocretin investigated News Roundup: March 2013 2nd Edition
There is a nice write-up of a very interesting study published in Nature Communications at Psych Central. A research group wanted to take a closer look at the function of a peptide known as Hypocretin as well as the peptide Melanin Concentrating Hormone. The researchers looked at a group of subjects who were due to [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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10:07 PM | Friday Weird Science: When you lose your frog tranmission, check the toilet
Sci posted a Friday Weird Science yesterday about the mysterious case of disappearing radio transmitters in frogs! Mysterious because there were radio transmitters on the ground…and no sign of a devoured frog. What’s the culprit? Frogs can PEE OUT LARGE ITEMS. Sounds painful, but not if you’re them! Head over and check it out.
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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8:38 PM | Methionine synthase and autism
The paper by Christina Muratore and colleagues* (open-access) including Dick Deth and Antonio Persico in the authorship line-up, is the source of today's post. Concerned with quite an important enzyme, methionine synthase (MS), and in particular MS mRNA status in post-mortem frontal cortex samples, the authors report lower levels of MS mRNA in cases of autism. I should add that quite a good overview of this paper can also be found here.Recycle @ Wikipedia  OK, let's start from the […]

Muratore, C., Hodgson, N., Trivedi, M., Abdolmaleky, H., Persico, A., Lintas, C., De La Monte, S. & Deth, R. (2013). Age-Dependent Decrease and Alternative Splicing of Methionine Synthase mRNA in Human Cerebral Cortex and an Accelerated Decrease in Autism, PLoS ONE, 8 (2) DOI:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation
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6:32 PM | Got a smartphone? Take part in the Great Brain Experiment
There has been much chatter recently about the new found potential of "big data". Google NGram for example, tracks usage of words in books and Google Flu Trends does what it says on the tin. The vast quantities of data that are now available enable new possibilities for experimenting with data in a ...Read More
Neurobonkers | Big Think
Psychiatry | Psychology
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12:40 PM | Do Cats See Illusions Too?
The video above was uploaded on YouTube by Rasmusab. The cat is looking at the rotating snake illusion. This is a powerful visual illusion created by the talented Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka. Professor Kitaoka has created many remarkable visual illusions combining an artistic talent with a deep understanding of human vision. Professor Kitaoka’s website contains many [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

March 08, 2013

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4:49 PM | Deep Brain Stimulation for Severe Anorexia Nervosa
This week, a team of researchers from the University of Toronto published a paper in The Lancet describing the results of a small study using deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treatment severe/chronic anorexia nervosa. Major news outlets, including the BBC, reported on the findings. A few people emailed and messaged me asking me to do a post about it (which is cool! I love it!). So here it is. DBS is a surgical procedure that involves implanting an electrode that delivers […]

Lipsman, N., Woodside, D., Giacobbe, P., Hamani, C., Carter, J., Norwood, S., Sutandar, K., Staab, R., Elias, G., Lyman, C. & Smith, G. (2013). Subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-refractory anorexia nervosa: a phase 1 pilot trial, The Lancet, DOI:

Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
Citation

March 07, 2013

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11:00 PM | Revising the Three Structure Model: Integration in Neuroscience: A Core Problem – Part 9
In this post I propose a small amendment to the three structure model which clarifies more clearly the relationship of neural activity to unconscious and conscious activity. Although speech is the direct result of neural activity, the model states that language results from consciousness and highlights the nature of language as a product of the [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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3:19 PM | The forbidden fruit: How grapefruit could kill you
The video below is a new public service announcement from the US FDA on the risks of drinking grapefruit juice when taking medication. We’ve known for over a couple of decades about the grapefruit juice interaction that affects half of all drugs to some degree, but a paper recently published ...Read More
Neurobonkers | Big Think
Psychiatry | Psychology

March 06, 2013

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6:20 PM | Your Body’s Response to Chewing & Spitting: The Role of Ghrelin and Obestatin
Shelly’s follow-up post on chewing and spitting, an often overlooked symptom in eating disorders. In her first post, Shelly discussed the prevalence of chewing and spitting among eating disorder patients. In this post, Shelly discusses some of the physiological effects of chewing and spitting. Enjoy! – Tetyana Your body responds to food long before it reaches your stomach. The taste, smell, even the mere sight of food all act to trigger a physiological response, “priming” the […]

Monteleone, P., Serritella, C., Martiadis, V. & Maj, M. (2008). Deranged Secretion of Ghrelin and Obestatin in the Cephalic Phase of Vagal Stimulation in Women with Anorexia Nervosa, Biological Psychiatry, 64 (11) 1005-1008. DOI:

Méquinion, M., Langlet, F., Zgheib, S., Dickson, S., Dehouck, B., Chauveau, C. & Viltart, O. (2013). Ghrelin: Central and Peripheral Implications in Anorexia Nervosa, Frontiers in Endocrinology, 4 DOI:

Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
Citation
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5:20 PM | Your Body’s Response to Chewing & Spitting: The Role of Ghrelin and Obestatin
Shelly’s follow-up post on chewing and spitting, an often overlooked symptom in eating disorders. In her first post, Shelly discussed the prevalence of chewing and spitting among eating disorder patients. In this post, Shelly discusses some of the physiological effects of chewing and spitting. Enjoy! – Tetyana Your body responds to food long before it reaches your stomach. The taste, smell, even the mere sight of food all act to trigger a physiological response, “priming” the […]
Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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4:07 PM | Take my paper as it is?
At Neurotic Physiology today, Sci is contemplating publishing. And how, many times, our papers end up shuttled around and around and around. There’s got to be a way to reduce this problem. Doesn’t there? Head over and check out my idea and tell me if it’s harebrained or not.
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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12:27 PM | Epigenetics, EN-2 and the 'autism brain'
A paper by Jill James and colleagues* (open-access) caught my eye recently. Centred on Engrailed-2 (EN-2), a gene with more than a passing relationship to cases of autism (see here), James et al report results based on analysis of a small number of post-mortem cerebellar samples with a particular focus on an epigenetic evaluation.Cerebellum @ Wikipedia  What is epigenetics? Well, I've written before about some of the basic concepts involved (see here) and how despite not everyone […]

James SJ, Shpyleva S, Melnyk S, Pavliv O & Pogribny IP (2013). Complex epigenetic regulation of Engrailed-2 (EN-2) homeobox gene in the autism cerebellum., Translational psychiatry, 3 PMID:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
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March 05, 2013

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10:54 PM | The Effects of Changing Contrast and Colour in an Image: Continuing with a Visual Illusion Experiment – Part 6
Returning to the visual illusion experiment the video above shows the results of applying a change in contrast and colour to the original image. The illusion consists of two parts – the first is produced by the circumference. The alternating colours can produce an afterimage effect particularly when the image is static. The second effect [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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1:10 PM | The Gagging of Great Britain... and Beyond
There are many things we can criticise the US for, but freedom of speech is not (at present) one of them. The US not only have the valuable First Amendment rights to freedom of speech but these rights have been explicitly expanded by "The Speech Law", a law with the express purpose of protecting ...Read More
Neurobonkers | Big Think
Psychiatry | Psychology

March 04, 2013

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10:48 PM | A Second Recap on a Model of Emotional Regulation: Building a Model of the Insular Cortex – Part 11
In previous posts in the series (see Appendix) we began with an open model of the Insular Cortex (i.e one which can be contributed to by the readers). This is illustrated at the top of the diagram above where the details of the model were based on an interpretation of the research literature. Along the [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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12:35 PM | Vitamin B12 and autism: more to do
The short report by Malhotra and colleagues* linking a case of the regressive condition childhood disintegrative disorder, CDD (otherwise known as Heller's syndrome) with vitamin B12 deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia has grabbed my attention.Malhotra et al report that following the identification of said nutritional issues, supplementation with vitamin B12 and a few other nutrients, seemed to correlate with some improvements in the 14 year old at the centre of this paper, […]

Malhotra S, Subodh BN, Parakh P & Lahariya S (2013). Brief Report: Childhood Disintegrative Disorder as a Likely Manifestation of Vitamin B12 Deficiency., Journal of autism and developmental disorders, PMID:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation
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6:44 AM | Empathy and patient experience
Buffer Found this excellent video on CasesBlog, with advice for doctors and reactions on twitter. CEO Toby Cosgrove, MD, shared this video, titled “Empathy,” with the Cleveland Clinic staff during his 2013 State of the Clinic address on Feb. 27, 2013. The video relates to any person – not only patients and physicians. It’s so [...] No related posts.
Dr Shock MD PhD
Academic Life | Psychiatry
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6:13 AM | Bringing on the Borg rats?
“We are the Borg. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile.” (Source) I heard the rumblings on Twitter, and then on the blogs. It was telepathy. No, it wasn’t telepathy, but it was close. It was like the Borg. No it wasn’t. It was a mind meld! Ok, [...]
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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4:24 AM | Is Living in an Urban City a Risk Factor for Bulimia Nervosa?
The link between urban living and mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression has been known for quite some time (Sundquist et al., 2004). In one study, Sundquist et al found that individuals living in a densely populated area had a 68-77% higher risk of developing psychosis and 12-22% higher risk of developing depression. The question then arises, do eating disorders follow a similar pattern? And if yes, what are some possible explanations? Certainly we know that both genetic and […]

VAN SON, G., VAN HOEKEN, D., BARTELDS, A., VAN FURTH, E. & HOEK, H. (2006). Urbanisation and the incidence of eating disorders, The British Journal of Psychiatry, 189 (6) 562-563. DOI:

Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
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