Brain
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Paediatric anxiety disorders confer a considerable public health burden
Anxiety disorders usually begin in childhood or adolescence and are the most common mental health condition across the life span.1,2 Consequently, intense research efforts are focused on delineating the underlying mechanisms of paediatric anxiety so that we can better identify those at risk and intervene early.
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Is brain circuitry linked with early symptoms of autism spectrum disorder?
Researchers in San Diego, USA, have studied the relationship between brain network connectivity and emerging autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in toddlers aged 17-45 months with (n=24) or without (n=23) ASD.
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Young people’s ‘neural fingerprints’ might permit a precision-medicine approach to depression
Precision medicine has been discussed in medical research since the late 1990’s. Only recently, however, has this concept aroused interest and inspired relevant research in psychiatry, particularly in adolescents.
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What mechanisms underlie reduced social attention in people with ASD?
A key predictor of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis is attenuated attention to social stimuli. Thus far, the reasons underlying this abnormality are unknown: some have hypothesized reduced social motivation while others have suggested aberrant oculomotor function in affected individuals.
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Nigerian young people from parentally deprived backgrounds show enhanced working memory capacity
Early adverse rearing can impair cognitive functions in all domains. However, those who take an evolutionary–developmental stance propose that there could be adaptive benefits associated with early adverse rearing.
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April 2020 – The Bridge
This edition of The Bridge focuses on CBT, includes ‘Can transdiagnostic CBT improve outcomes in children with ASD?’ and ‘Does online CBT work for treating adolescent anxiety?’
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Inflammation: a key risk factor for depression?
Depression is common but the biological mechanisms leading to this disorder are not well understood. The link between inflammation and the brain may help us elucidate a potential mechanism.
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Neuroscience Edition
Welcome to this Neuroscience themed edition of The Bridge.
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The Royal College of Psychiatrists is currently promoting the neurosciences in its curriculum, for training Psychiatrists of the future. One of the many reasons for this is to develop more “Parity of Esteem” between physical and mental health conditions. -
Identifying imaging biomarkers in the neonatal brain
The past decade has seen great improvements in magnetic resonance imaging technologies, such that it is now possible to image the developing brain in utero. In 2018, Dafnis Batalle and colleagues compiled an Annual Research Review for the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, where they evaluated the current status of neuroimaging research in neonates and paediatrics to determine the origins of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.
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A mother’s touch: a key player in fine tuning the function of our genome
There is debate as to the importance of genetics in determining our behaviour. This debate has become enshrined perhaps due to the early focus of genetics on searching for DNA variation in our genome (termed a polymorphism) that affected protein structure, the hypothesis being that such a protein variant would not be working optimally in our body throughout our life.
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