Dr Beau Lotto gives a fascinating talk on how illusions tell us about the context of vision. Transforming the retinal signal into our perception of the world is a subtle process. Each part of this process might seem strange when reflected back to us through the carefully selected illusions shown here. These ‘mirrors’ into our own vision system give us profound insights that can also tell us something about our evolution.
Index: There are indices for the TAWOP site here and hereTwitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
Mild cognitive impairment was associated with a reduction in quality of life in this study (n=205). The QOL-AD (Alzheimer’s Disease) instrument was used to assess quality of life.
Musical hallucinations were more likely in females and people with left-sided hearing impairment in this study looking at people undergoing audiometry testing. In their sample of 194 people, 3.6% experienced musical hallucinations. Age and severity of hearing impairment were not risk factors however.
In one study (n=131) researchers looked at the relationship between depression and cognition in people with Alzheimer’s Disease. The researchers found that in their study there was no significant change in cognition in cases with remission of Depression at 24 weeks.
The relationship between Depressive symptoms in women over the age of 85 was examined in this study (n=302). Researchers used the 15 item Geriatric Depression Scale and found that with a score of <6 at baseline 46% had normal cognitive status 5 years later. With a score >6 at baseline 19% had normal cognitive status 5 years later.
In a small fMRI study researchers looked at 15 people with late life depression and 13 controls . Previous research would suggest decreased executive performance in people with Depression. In this study the researchers found that on a test of executive performance there was increased activation in various parts of the Brain in people with late life Depression compared with controls. The study showed activation was increased in areas including the Superior Frontal cortex bilaterally, Insular cortex, Caudate and Putamen.
Professor Julian Leff has been using virtual reality environments to help people with Schizophrenia who hear voices, manage their experiences. There is a write-up here.
Dr Emily Dean has an interesting piece on NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis as a cause of Schizophrenia with papers presented at the recent American Psychiatric Association annual meeting.
There is a write-up of a study by older adult psychiatrist Dr Tony Rao here in which he found that over the 10 year study period admissions for older adults with alcohol misuse had increased 150%.
In one study researchers looked at 581 people undergoing major non-cardiac surgery. They identified a number of risk factors for developing Delirium and stratified people into low and high risk groups. For the entire group the risk of postoperative delirum was 40% at 1-2 days post-op. The high risk group developed Delirium in 72% of cases if they had postoperative pain and used high dose Opioids. In comparison those in the low risk group who used low-dose Opioids and low level pain developed Delirium in 20% of cases. As Delirium is common, these findings are helpful in monitoring emerging Delirium.
There is a write-up here of a study looking at bright light therapy for daytime sleepiness in 18 people with traumatic brain injury.
Neuroscience
There is a study in rats that suggests that forgetting is more difficult in older rats. These findings might be relevant for humans.
Events
Dr Raj Persaud and Professor Simon Wessely are hosting a conference on the subject of DSM-5 in London (see here and here).
Index: There are indices for the TAWOP site here and hereTwitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
Victor Wooten is a grammy award winning composer and bass player who gives a fascinating TEDx talk on the link between music and language. Language is a key aspect of human experience and there are many disorders of language. Perhaps music can help us to think about language from another perspective.
Index: There are indices for the TAWOP site here and hereTwitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
The long awaited fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders is now out. The American Psychiatric Association site provides a useful outline of the changes in the new edition. DSM-5 is used in America and a number of other countries in the world. The World Health Organisation produces the International Classification of Diseases which is used elsewhere including the UK and they are soon due to publish an 11th Edition with discussion about possibly reconciling the two diagnostic systems at some point. As above, the APA has given an overview of the changes which includes the following factsheets
The APA have produced a number of other factsheets also.
There is an interesting study in PLOS One (n=86) in which researchers looked at the relationship between exercise and cognition in older adults. The researchers looked at people aged 70-80 undergoing twice weekly aerobic training, twice-weekly balance and tone classes or twice weekly resistance training over a period of 6 months. The researchers found that the resistance training group showed a performance improvement in the Stroop test (which can be used to examine executive function ) which was statistically significant (p=0.04) in comparison with the control group (balance and tone group). The researchers suggest this approach might be considered for Mild Cognitive Impairment and it will be interesting to see the results of further research in this area. The selection criteria for these exercises is important also as some people may not be suitable due to health issues and would need to consult with their physician.
Events
The Freudian Clip Film Club in conjunction with Dr Raj Persaud is presenting the ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ on May 28th in London (for details see here).
Index: There are indices for the TAWOP site here and hereTwitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
At 80 years of age renowned philosopher Professor John Searle has spent over five decades developing a philosophy of consciousness. In this TEDx video he explains how consciousness is rooted in biology and debunks some common myths about consciousness.
Index: There are indices for the TAWOP site here and hereTwitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
This week is Dementia Awareness Week (TM). This is a timely point to review why Dementia research is so important. In the Department of Health video above Professor Alistair Burns interviews Professor Martin Rossor, director at DeNDRon (Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network) about Dementia Research.
Index: There are indices for the TAWOP site here and hereTwitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
Neurologist Professor Bruce Miller is director of the University of California San Francisco Department of Neurology Memory and Aging Centre. There are a series of educational videos about Dementia on the USCSF Memory and Aging YouTube Channel. In the video above, Professor Miller talks about how emotions can be affected in Frontotemporal Dementia with reference to lateralisation of the disease process in the brain.
Index: There are indices for the TAWOP site here and hereTwitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
