News Round-up: July 2010 4th Edition



In the news roundup this week Professor Rawlins from the Huntington’s Disease Association cites referral rates to the organisation as evidence that the prevalence of Huntington’s Disease in the UK is at least twice that of previous estimates. The PREDICT-HD study which follows up people with Huntington’s Disease has provided evidence that mild cognitive impairment can feature in the prodromal phase of the illness although the significance is not yet clear. There’s also a very small study which suggests that the risk of stroke in relation to alcohol consumption changes over the course of hours and days after consumption. However the sample size in this study was small and larger replication studies are needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. There is also a remarkable story of a 100-year old doctor – an Obstetrician and Gygnaecologist – still doing the rounds!  Palaeoanthropologist Pat Shipman has come up with a very elegant hypothesis about human evolution in which she suggests that over 1.6 million years it has been our ability to care for other species that has played a vital role in our adaptation to different environments. This comes at the time of another find of an early dog specimen – from 14,000 years ago – although the domestication of dogs has a complex history with older specimens being discovered previously.

1. Small study suggests apathy and depression associated with impaired memory and attention in MS http://bit.ly/bLd9N5
2. Meta-analysis shows white matter integrity differences in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease – sub reqd http://bit.ly/agjMqb
3. PREDICT-HD study suggests mild cognitive impairment is a valid part of the prodromal phase in Huntingtons Disease http://bit.ly/9GKAM7
4. Rudeness at work and mistakes http://bit.ly/d8Kt7V
5. Study suggesting people with dementia over age of 75 at risk of poor dental health http://bit.ly/96pdf8
6. Study (n=312) suggests relationship between MRI findings and longitudinal cog function http://bit.ly/agVb2w
7. Subscription needed – the LADIS study – white matter changes and CVA assoc with VaD and MTA with AD http://bit.ly/9FwLXt
8. Another study suggests head circumference mitigates against cognitive decline even with cerebral atrophy http://bit.ly/b0aqVs
9. Alzheimer’s Disease – desktop vs bedside diagnosis in the future? http://bit.ly/b69Q7D
10. Small study which needs replication but suggests stroke risk may change for certain periods after alcohol consumption http://bit.ly/audCcC
11. Apathy and depression associated with change from MCI to AD and LBD in one study http://bit.ly/9OfuDr
12. Virtual universe support structural balance theory on human interactions http://bit.ly/cVaQ0h
13. SIRT1 linked to cleavage of amyloid precursor protein http://bit.ly/aE3hvv
14. Huntington’s Disease prevalence underestimated – recent study http://bit.ly/cqvZsQ
15. Automated analysis of 3 million vocal utterances can help in language development research http://bit.ly/9i1P2g
16. Report on study suggesting emotional response can be reduced in AD http://bit.ly/9XeXhV
17. Analysing auditory information – possibly brain similarities between humans and chickens http://bit.ly/aoTPvq

Psychiatry 2.0

Twitter Round-Up

Here are my favourites from other people on Twitter

1. markusdahlem soon 10 000 views — my Migraine aura simulation on Youtube http://youtu.be/XLJ00o-vmh0
2. uyosemite Dementia: When Pneumonia Follows Severe Dementia – The New Old Age Blog … http://bit.ly/c3I0iP
3. mariapage Interesting post: RT @sandygautam New Mouse Trap post Cognitive control: when less is more! http://goo.gl/fb/yS7Jy
4. mariapage My “rostral PFC” search led me to this: “Neural substrates of irony comprehension: A functional MRI study” ( http://bit.ly/bMxTdv )
5. mariapage “Prospective and retrospective memory in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia: Similar patterns of impairment” ( http://bit.ly/cXPOMY )
6. mariapage RT @researchblogs Disease as a byproduct of adaptation http://goo.gl/fb/6Wd42
7. mariapage Interesting: RT @boraz #PLoS ONE: Learning in Autism: Implicitly Superb http://bit.ly/a9HISs
8. ScienceNews24 Every dog has its day, but that day took more than 14,000 years to dawn for one canine. A jaw fragment found in… http://zmarter.com/817566
9. sciencedaily Scientists confirm role for mysterious cell component — the nucleolinus: Scientists have confirmed the role in ce… http://bit.ly/a7MrRc
10. CNSSpectrumsTo find every CNS Spectrums article from 2006, please visit — http://ow.ly/2fbsu
11. CNSSpectrumsTo find every CNS Spectrums article from 2005, please visit — http://ow.ly/2fbrt
12. scireltodayAre We Born With Brains Like Those of Apes? Jason Hill answers: http://bit.ly/a59EPn
13. LabSpacesStudy links more time spent sitting to higher risk of death – http://is.gd/dCldN
14. TechZader: RT @Mashable: Social Media Use in the Workplace on the Rise [STATS] http://bit.ly/9qPLXZ
15. EvoMRI: Liked “Big Blog Theory Finalist: please vote” http://ff.im/nBrwu
16. psydir: Apathy and depression predict progression from mild cognitive impairment http://goo.gl/fb/gosOw
17. MDLinxMore than half the worlds population gets insufficient vitamin D: ScienceDaily http://bit.ly/cvG6bb
18. noahWGPaint huffing hallucinations differ based on hue: http://bit.ly/btGgUn /via @mindhacksblog
19. FasTakeWeaving Social Throughout Your Organization http://om.ly/ooSz
20. BoraZExclusive first look at “revolutionary” social news iPad app: Flipboard — @Scobleizer http://bit.ly/aUKF8h
21. BoraZAutism Science Federation’s YouTube Channel http://bit.ly/a0MYNb
22. DrHubaEvaluator 100-Year-Old Doctor Still Making Rounds
23. on Fluent News u need 2 click thru – oldest human remains in america suggest southeast asian origin RT @ScienceNews24: A scientific… http://bit.ly/9bMmyZ
24. psydir Supportive Sibling Relationships: The Essential Ingredients http://goo.gl/fb/23cEk
25. ScienceNews24 As physician-guided robots routinely operate on patients at most major hospitals, the next generation robot cou… http://zmarter.com/801119
26. vaughanbell Why Do We Cry? Eight Half-Baked Ideas. http://is.gd/dzMvg by @Mark_Changizi
27. rcpsych New podcast: Listen to Dr Louise Howard discussing her BJPsych paper on the effectiveness of supported employment http://bit.ly/9Trd1Z
28. psych101 Jul 24, Psychology Research Participants http://goo.gl/fb/b81kf
29. pdmstrong Mindfulness Meditation Therapy: YOUTUBE VIDEO CLIPS http://goo.gl/b/CF8O
30. TechZader Open Source Collaboration Platform – TeamLab http://bit.ly/cGc2uJ
31. BoraZTiny DNA circuits offer high speed – http://bit.ly/dw1WvV
32. RT @drhenslin: Working Memory Capacity Reflected In Musical Skill, Practice Time http://bit.ly/dq0y4T
33. Psydir 2010-07-23 Spike activity http://goo.gl/fb/HktaR



Human Evolution/Origins of Civilisation

1. Team undertaking 3-d analysis of 1.5 million year old footprints probably Homo Erectus
2. 2nd 4000 year old figurine from Orkneys discovered
3. 200,000 year old stone ‘knives’ found in Israel
4. Extinct but interesting monkey species found in underwater carribean dive
5. Wooden henge near stonehenge – big discovery
6. New theory of human evolution involving caring relationship for other species
7. Google funds 1 yr project to open out ancient texts online

Resources

1. Rv of studies on antioxidants and cognitive decline http://bit.ly/a2F4rH
2. RCT of tx of behavioural problems in LBD http://bit.ly/8YWG8Y
3. Study investigating EMF exposure in Swedish twins and dementia risk http://bit.ly/9SkeAl
4. Case study of SSRI, donepezil and hippocampal volume http://bit.ly/cU8okO
5. Open access – pathology of medial temporal lobe epilepsy http://bit.ly/aGUtnL
6. Subscription review article on MRI in PD http://bit.ly/aa14AS
7. Subscription review article on vascular risk factors and dementia http://bit.ly/dkvhxC
8. Study investigating characteristics of dementia with and without diabetes http://bit.ly/99iTSF
9. “Public Sensationalism and Clinical Trials: How to Address the Challenges of Science?” ( http://bit.ly/dz1ra2 )
10. Study investigates LDL range in men in relation to depression and cardiovascular disease http://bit.ly/cHLBqe
11. APOE4 and susceptibility to Alzheimer’s Disease in the Indian population (open access) http://bit.ly/b542pj
12. Proteome analysis of Wernicke’s area in pple with schizophrenia (open access) http://bit.ly/9pRcsc
13. Epidemiology of depression stigma in an Albertan population (open access) http://bit.ly/c1TQNW
14. Tool for assessment of medically unexplained symptoms (open access) http://bit.ly/dfJoAQ
15. Case report of Brazilian lady with Down syndrome and depression (open access) http://bit.ly/ddb5Su

Call for Authors: If you are interested in writing an article or series of articles for this blog please write to the e-mail address below. Copyright can be retained.
Index: An index of the site can be found here. The page contains links to all of the articles in the blog in chronological order.
Twitter: 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.