Mental Health (14)
Keeping your teeth brushed and flossed can help preserve memory according to a study at West Virginia University.
The researchers found a link between gum disease and memory loss. The link maybe an important step in the right direction to reduce the skyrocketing rates of demntia and alzheimer's disease that is expected over the next several decades.
Elderly adults with low levels of vitamin D appear more likely to experience cognitive impairment according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Cognitive impairment includes declines in thinking, learning and memory and is often a major cause of people entering nursing homes.
Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a University of Minnesota Medical School report.
Young adults who have used marijuana (cannabis) for long periods of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. Previous studies have identified an association between marijuana (cannabis) and psychosis, however, concerns remain that this research has not adequately accounted for confounding variables. Confounding variables are variables that the researcher fail to control, or eliminate, damaging the internal validity of an experiment.
Adults who used the herbal supplement ginkgo biloba for several years did not have a slower rate of cognitive decline compared to adults who received placebo rather than Ginkgo biloba, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Contrary to popular belief, the ups and downs of romantic relationships have a greater effect on the mental health of young men than on the mental health of women, according to a new study published in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Losing a parent to suicide makes children more likely to die by suicide themselves and increases their risk of developing a range of major psychiatric disorders, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The study is believed to be the largest one to date regarding suicide risk of children whose parents committed suicide.
A report on the findings will appear in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Promisng Alzheimer's Disease Drug Dimebon Fails
A promising Alzheimer's disease drug Dimebon worked no better than a placebo in a late-stage study. An unexpected disappointment after Dimebon, the potential blockbuster, stopped Alzheimer’s symptoms from worsening for a year in a prior test. Dimebon, failed to meet its primary and secondary goals improving thinking ability and overall daily function over six months in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
Benefits of Meditation
Studies also indicate that meditation can produce experience-based structural alterations in the brain,that may slow down the aging-related atrophy of certain areas of the brain.
Feeling connected to others is vital to mental health, as well as physical health. Studies show that a sense of rejection or isolation disrupts not only will power and perseverance, but also key cellular processes deep within the human body. Chronic loneliness belongs among health risk factors such as smoking, obesity or lack of exercise.