X

Posts

April 25, 2013

+
9:22 AM | Prenatal valproate exposure and autism: reloaded
When does the the term 'correlation does not equal causation' become a moot point? It's a question I've often pondered, having discussed the issue quite a few times on this blog for all manner of correlations and associations linked to autism (sorry, the autisms).The weight of the heart @ Wikipedia  Is there, for example, a recognised tipping point where the weight of evidence correlating A with B might actually lead to the consensus that A causes B either wholly or partially?Yes, I […]

Jakob Christensen, Therese Koops Grønborg, Merete Juul Sørensen, Diana Schendel, Erik Thorlund Parner, Lars Henning Pedersen & Mogens Vestergaard (2013). Prenatal Valproate Exposure and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Childhood Autism, JAMA, Other: Link

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation
+
8:37 AM | Achieving herd immunity against pseudoscience in the age of the filter bubble and the social news revolution
Last night Ben Goldacre appeared on BBC Newsnight (viewable from UK ip addesses or portals only, for the next 7 days) discussing the ongoing havoc caused by the MMR scare in the form of a major outbreak in the UK of a disease that was on its way to being eradicated. Ben Goldacre once again ...Read More
Neurobonkers | Big Think
Psychiatry | Psychology
+
2:01 AM | Can’t sleep? Time to snack.
Sci is at Neurotic Physiology today, where I’m talking about snacking. Late night snacking. The kind we do when we’re…really sleep deprived. There’s a recent study looking at how sleep deprivation changes food intake and weight gain. Head over and check it out!
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

April 24, 2013

+
10:07 PM | Writing A Paper With A Reference Manager – A Brief Look at Endnote
One of the reference managers on the market is Endnote. In the above video Janine Lim shows us how to complete several useful tasks with Endnote. In previous posts (see Appendix) we looked at another reference manager – Mendeley. There are many other reference managers in addition to these two which will suit a variety [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
11:06 AM | The Moving Goalposts of Mental Illness
The latest edition of the manual psychiatrists use to assess patients has gone through a major and controversial set of changes which according to a report published in Current Biology (open access) runs the risk of: “..moving the goalposts for mental disorders, the 158 experts preparing the ...Read More
Neurobonkers | Big Think
Psychiatry | Psychology

April 23, 2013

+
8:58 PM | Contrast Illusions and Geometry: Continuing with a Visual Illusion Experiment – Part 10
In the last post we looked at the a number of images and altered single characteristics to assess the impact on the contrast illusion. The hypothesis generated was that the letter A when compared to a filled circle could with a graded background produce the illusion of heterogeneity within the same shape (i.e within the [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
12:33 PM | Autism and the methylome
Q: When is an identical twin not an identical twin? A: Pretty much all the time (at least according to some people) as our increasing understanding of the complexity of genetics stretches and modifies long-held beliefs about the building blocks of life and their role in our health and wellbeing.DNA methylation differences? @ Wikipedia  Today I'm talking about identical (monozygotic) twins - siblings derived from one fertilised egg - and how the science of epigenetics might have […]

Wong, C., Meaburn, E., Ronald, A., Price, T., Jeffries, A., Schalkwyk, L., Plomin, R. & Mill, J. (2013). Methylomic analysis of monozygotic twins discordant for autism spectrum disorder and related behavioural traits, Molecular Psychiatry, DOI:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation
+
11:53 AM | Don't Drink The Kool-Aid
With terrorism at the forefront of public consciousness, it is easy to let civil liberties slip off the radar. This is unfortunate, if we learned anything from the classic psychology experiments, it was that unchecked power and authority can lead to terrible evils. The findings of the classic ...Read More
Neurobonkers | Big Think
Psychiatry | Psychology
+
5:11 AM | Time-lapse video: Package shipped with a hidden camera
Buffer Designer Ruben van der Vleuten was curious about the shipping process, so he did what anyone would do. He installed a camera in a cardboard box and shipped it to himself. Below is a time-lapse video of the package’s journey. Interesting experiment. Enjoy the video and music, thanks to FlowingData Buffer   No related posts.
Dr Shock MD PhD
Academic Life | Psychiatry

April 22, 2013

+
10:08 PM | Does Exercise Help Depression?
Summary for Patients and Relatives Evidence Based Overview Psychiatrist Dr Alex Mitchell gives an overview of the benefits of exercise for clinical Depression. Dr Mitchell is one of the contributors to the NICE Guidelines on the treatment of Depression. The Department of Health’s UK physical activity guidelines are to be found here. Index: There are [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
7:51 PM | Family-Based Treatment for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa: Hype or Hope?
When it comes to eating disorder treatment, few (if any) approaches are as divisive as Family-Based Treatment, also known as the Maudsley Method (I’ll use the terms interchangeably) . When I first heard about Maudsley, sometime during my mid-teens, I thought it was scaaary. But, as I’ve learned more about it, I began to realize it is not as scary as I originally thought. As a side-note: I know many people reading this post will know more about Maudsley than I ever […]
Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
5:29 AM | To Calm a Rat with Tickling
“for here comes the trout that must be caught with tickling” -Twelfth Night Generally, I don’t think of being tickled as a particularly pleasurable or calming activity. Most people who are ticklish go immediately on the defensive and tense up, and I always got the impression that most people prefer NOT to be tickled rather [...]
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

April 21, 2013

+
2:19 PM | Seasonal Variation in Health Searches on Google News Roundup: April 2013 3rd Edition
A group of researchers in Sweden followed up a cohort of people in three age groups: 85, 90 and over 90. The researchers found that people in these groups were less likely to develop Dementia if they scored more highly on cognitive testing (the Mini-Mental State Examination) or if they had more social contacts. Depression [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
7:43 AM | All eyes on minocycline
Minocycline, the tetracycline antibiotic, is probably not something that most people would traditionally link with autism or conditions presenting with autism-like behaviours. Indeed, the suggestion that antibiotics or antimicrobials if you prefer, may be able to modify either the behaviour or linked biochemistry of the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) or even influence the onset and expression of ASD is quite frankly a little bit unusual.Minocycline (for chemists) @ Wikipedia  But unusual […]

Leigh, M., Nguyen, D., Mu, Y., Winarni, T., Schneider, A., Chechi, T., Polussa, J., Doucet, P., Tassone, F., Rivera, S. & Hessl, D. (2013). A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Minocycline in Children and Adolescents with Fragile X Syndrome, Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 34 (3) 147-155. DOI:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation

April 19, 2013

+
4:43 PM | Friday Weird Science: For real sperm, real men wear kilts
Sci is at Neurotic Physiology today, for Friday Weird Science! And today’s is a breeze! A breeze to the…nether regions. Why? Because today’s paper argues that real men should wear KILTS. To protect their sperm! Fashionable, manly, and healthy, all at the same time! Head over and check it out.
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
12:43 PM | Beer, Dopamine, and BRAIN SCANS!
Sci has a piece up at the Guardian today, talking about a recent flurry of news reports on beer and dopamine. Everyone, get read for MAJOR NEWS. Did you KNOW, that the TASTE of beer increases DOPAMINE!?!?!? Here’s a hint. So does the sight of beer, the taste of chocolate milk, and bacon. Sure, the [...]
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

April 18, 2013

+
2:18 PM | Nonpurging Bulimia Nervosa: Where Does It Fit?
When most people think of bulimia nervosa, they think of binge eating and self-induced vomiting. While that is not incorrect, it is not the full picture either. In the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV), there are two subtypes of bulimia nervosa: purging (BN-P) and nonpurging (BN-NP). The difference lies in the types of compensation methods: patients with BN-P engage in self-induced vomiting, or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas whereas patients with […]
Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

April 17, 2013

+
10:04 PM | A Clever Way to Index Research Papers with Easily Searchable Names
This is a neat video showing how to simply organise research papers as PDF’s by giving them easily searchable names. There is an associated Literature Review HQ blog here. Appendix – Related Resources on this Site Working with PubMed – Part 1: Getting started with a shortcut Working with PubMed – Part 2: Favoriting abstracts [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
3:51 PM | How To Make Kids Smarter—and Ease Existential Terror
A few months ago, I logged on to Lumosity.com to play my daily dose of brain games. The company had given me a free, temporary account so that I could try out their system as part of my research for an article I was writing on brain training. My then 11-year-old son wanted to play, [...]
Streams of Consciousness
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
9:19 AM | Autism, the autisms or "developmental brain dysfunction"?
"If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism" so the oft-cited phrase goes. The implication is that whilst unified under the label of presenting with the triad/dyad characteristics of an autism spectrum condition, the heterogeneity present across the spectrum coupled with other comorbidity, allied to factors such as genes, personality, temperament, maturation, environment et al, mean that everyone is different and importantly everyone is dynamic.Umbrella under […]

Whitehouse AJ & Stanley FJ (2013). Is autism one or multiple disorders?, The Medical journal of Australia, 198 (6) 302-3. PMID:

Moreno-De-Luca A, Myers SM, Challman TD, Moreno-De-Luca D, Evans DW & Ledbetter DH (2013). Developmental brain dysfunction: revival and expansion of old concepts based on new genetic evidence., Lancet neurology, 12 (4) 406-14. PMID:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation

April 16, 2013

+
9:14 PM | A Multicontrast Illusion? Continuing with a Visual Illusion Experiment – Part 9 (Updated)
Continuing with the contrast illusion theme from the previous posts in the series (see Appendix) I examined the effects of multiple contrasts. In the picture above the blue circle appears homogenous. The background contrasts don’t produce an obvious heterogeneity in the circle. In the picture above we might expect the letters on a light background [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
8:59 AM | Running and Hypothermia
The news yesterday of the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon shook me to the core. For most of us distance runners, the goal of running Boston is one that gleams in front of us forever: it will probably never happen, but oh, to imagine if it could. Many people consider it [...]
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

April 15, 2013

+
4:27 AM | What’s The Point of Bingeing and Purging? And Why Can’t You Just Stop?
I defended my MSc on Tuesday and I’m not going to lie: I was pretty symptomatic with bulimia in the days prior to my defence. As I was explaining to my boyfriend, the anxiety-reducing effects of purging are so powerful, and the compulsion to binge and purge (when I’m stressed/anxious/”not okay”) is so strong that it is much easier to do it, get it over with, and continue working (in a much calmer state). I’ve mentioned before, for me, purging is very […]
Science of Eating Disorders
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

April 14, 2013

+
2:52 PM | Fatigue severity and serum leptin levels in chronic fatigue syndrome
In the very complicated world of medical research and science, the days of one chemical, one metabolite, or one gene driving and sustaining ill-health and particular diseases or conditions seem to be all but long past. Sure, there are conditions which on the surface seem to be driven by only one factor, but more often than not is the realisation that we humans are very complicated creatures indeed.Leptin @ Wikipedia  I was therefore interested to read the paper by Elizabeth Stringer and […]

Stringer, E., Baker, K., Carroll, I., Montoya, J., Chu, L., Maecker, H. & Younger, J. (2013). Daily cytokine fluctuations, driven by leptin, are associated with fatigue severity in chronic fatigue syndrome: evidence of inflammatory pathology, Journal of Translational Medicine, 11 (1) 93. DOI:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation

April 13, 2013

+
9:38 PM | Improving Memory During By Playing Music During Sleep News Roundup: April 2013 2nd Edition
There is coverage of a New England Journal of Medicine study showing evidence of several brain regions involved in pain. Analgesia reduced the signal supporting the relationship. There is coverage of a study (n=28) in which increased physical activity levels were associated with improved attention. Neuroscience Professor Wray Herbert looks at a method called ‘episodic [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
2:04 PM | Can Brain Models Help in the Development of Medical Treatments?
Richard Walker is a senior science writer at the Human Brain Project. In this talk he discusses the promise of brain models with specific reference to the Human Brain Project. This is a high profile European initiative which has been covered elsewhere on this site. Walker asks the question of whether these models will aid [...]
The Amazing World of Psychiatry
Neuroscience | Psychiatry

April 12, 2013

+
2:55 PM | Friday Weird Science: What’s so big about the penis study?
Sci is at Neurotic Physiology today, taking a close look at the penis study that got so much attention earlier this week. Does size matter?! Well, yes. But not as much as everyone seemed to think. Head over and check it out!
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
+
8:53 AM | ADHD and a sunny disposition
'Light it up blue' is probably a familiar phrase to many of those involved with autism as being the message championed by Autism Speaks on World Autism Awareness Day (2 April). The intention is noble enough: to bring autism to the attention of the world at large and importantly, keep their attention and resources focused on autism. I might add that awareness is one thing; actually 'doing something about autism' - whether that means improving prospects or modifying the course of autism or just […]

Arns M, van der Heijden KB, Arnold LE & Kenemans JL (2013). Geographic Variation in the Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Sunny Perspective., Biological psychiatry, PMID:

Questioning Answers
Psychiatry | Psychology
Citation

April 11, 2013

+
11:27 AM | PTSD in the DSM-5
What is going to change in the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis in the 5th edition of the psychiatry ‘bible’, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders? The DSM-5 is to be published in May this year but some … Continue reading →
Trauma Recovery
Psychiatry | Psychology

April 10, 2013

+
2:38 PM | Salt: From delicious to disgusting!
Sci is at Neurotic Physiology today, looking at salt. At low doses, salt is tasty! We all need it, and most of us enjoy it. But at high doses, salt gets disgusting. What makes the difference? It’s all in receptors. Head over and check it out.
The Scicurious Brain
Neuroscience | Psychiatry
123456789
1,864 Results