Stroboscopic Research

Contains research objectives and reports on one research project.Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionU. S. Navy, Office of Naval Researc

Migraine and Major Depression: A Longitudinal Study

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72886/1/j.1526-4610.1994.hed3407387.x.pd

Empowerment and the Transition to Housing for Homeless Mentally Ill People: An Anthropological Perspective

Often lacking in scholarly and policy-oriented discussions of homelessness are contextualized understandings of the problems faced, and the values held, by homeless mentally ill people. This article, using an anthropological perspective, examines issues that arise for homeless mentally ill individuals in making the transition from shelter living to permanent residences. The transition occurs as part of a housing initiative driven by the philosophy of consumer empowerment. Project participants are placed in independent apartments or evolving consumer households (ECH) — shared, staffed residences designed to transform themselves into consumer-directed living situations over time. The effects of an empowerment paradigm on the organization of space, the nature of social relations, and the management of economic resources in the ECHs are discussed to show that consumers and staff sometimes have contrasting views of what empowerment entails. It is suggested that anthropological research can help to illuminate the issues at stake in determining policy for homeless people with major mental illness

ADH1B is associated with alcohol dependence and alcohol consumption in populations of European and African ancestry.

A coding variant in alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) (rs1229984) that leads to the replacement of Arg48 with His48 is common in Asian populations and reduces their risk for alcoholism, but because of very low allele frequencies the effects in European or African populations have been difficult to detect. We genotyped and analyzed this variant in three large European and African-American case-control studies in which alcohol dependence was defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria, and demonstrated a strong protective effect of the His48 variant (odds ratio (OR) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24, 0.48) on alcohol dependence, with genome-wide significance (6.6 × 10(-10)). The hypothesized mechanism of action involves an increased aversive reaction to alcohol; in keeping with this hypothesis, the same allele is strongly associated with a lower maximum number of drinks in a 24-hour period (lifetime), with P=3 × 10(-13). We also tested the effects of this allele on the development of alcoholism in adolescents and young adults, and demonstrated a significantly protective effect. This variant has the strongest effect on risk for alcohol dependence compared with any other tested variant in European populations

Suppression of ovarian hormones in adolescent rats has no effect on anxiety-like behaviour or c-fos activation in the amygdala

Support was provided the British Society for Neuroendocrinology, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews.In humans, sex differences in mood disorders emerge during adolescence, with prevalence rates being consistently higher in females than males. It has been hypothesised that exposure to endogenous ovarian hormones during adolescence enhances the susceptibility of females to mood disorders from this stage of life onwards. However, experimental evidence in favour of this hypothesis is lacking. In the present study, we examined the long‐term effects of suppressing adolescent gonadal hormone levels in a group of female Lister‐hooded rats via administration of a gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone antagonist (Antide; administered on postnatal day [PND] 28 and 42) compared to control females and males (n = 14 per group). We predicted that, in adulthood, Antide‐treated female rats would exhibit more male‐like behaviour than control females in novel environments (elevated‐plus maze, open field and light‐dark box), in response to novel objects and novel social partners, and in an acoustic startle task. Progesterone and luteinising hormone assays (which were conducted on blood samples collected on PND 55/56 and 69/70) confirmed that the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐gonadal axis was temporarily suppressed by Antide treatment. In addition, Antide‐treated females were found to exhibit a modest pubertal delay, as measured by vaginal opening, which was comparable in length to the pubertal delay that has been induced by adolescent exposure to alcohol or stress in previous studies of female rats. However, Antide‐treated females did not substantially differ from control females on any of the behavioural tests, despite the evidence for predicted sex differences in some measures. Following the acoustic startle response task, all subjects were culled and perfused, and c‐Fos staining was conducted in the medial and basolateral amygdala, with the results showing no significant differences in cell counts between the groups. These findings suggest that ovarian hormone exposure during adolescence does not have long‐term effects on anxiety‐related responses in female rats.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Protocol for investigating genetic determinants of posttraumatic stress disorder in women from the Nurses' Health Study II

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One in nine American women will meet criteria for the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lifetime. Although twin studies suggest genetic influences account for substantial variance in PTSD risk, little progress has been made in identifying variants in specific genes that influence liability to this common, debilitating disorder.</p> <p>Methods and design</p> <p>We are using the unique resource of the Nurses Health Study II, a prospective epidemiologic cohort of 68,518 women, to conduct what promises to be the largest candidate gene association study of PTSD to date. The entire cohort will be screened for trauma exposure and PTSD; 3,000 women will be selected for PTSD diagnostic interviews based on the screening data. Our nested case-control study will genotype1000 women who developed PTSD following a history of trauma exposure; 1000 controls will be selected from women who experienced similar traumas but did not develop PTSD.</p> <p>The primary aim of this study is to detect genetic variants that predict the development of PTSD following trauma. We posit inherited vulnerability to PTSD is mediated by genetic variation in three specific neurobiological systems whose alterations are implicated in PTSD etiology: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the locus coeruleus/noradrenergic system, and the limbic-frontal neuro-circuitry of fear. The secondary, exploratory aim of this study is to dissect genetic influences on PTSD in the broader genetic and environmental context for the candidate genes that show significant association with PTSD in detection analyses. This will involve: conducting conditional tests to identify the causal genetic variant among multiple correlated signals; testing whether the effect of PTSD genetic risk variants is moderated by age of first trauma, trauma type, and trauma severity; and exploring gene-gene interactions using a novel gene-based statistical approach.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Identification of liability genes for PTSD would represent a major advance in understanding the pathophysiology of the disorder. Such understanding could advance the development of new pharmacological agents for PTSD treatment and prevention. Moreover, the addition of PTSD assessment data will make the NHSII cohort an unparalleled resource for future genetic studies of PTSD as well as provide the unique opportunity for the prospective examination of PTSD-disease associations.</p

Smoking cessation is associated with lower rates of mood/anxiety and alcohol use disorders

BACKGROUND: The psychological outcomes that accompany smoking cessation are not yet conclusive but positive outcomes could help to persuade quitting. METHOD: We use data from the longitudinal National Epidemiological Study of Alcohol and Related Conditions. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between cigarette smoking reduction and Wave 2 status of addiction/mental health disorder among daily smokers at Wave 1, stratified by status of the diagnosis of interest at Wave 1. We adjusted for differences in baseline covariates between smokers with different levels of smoking reduction between Wave 1 and Wave 2 using propensity score regression adjustment. RESULTS: After adjusting for propensity scores and other mental health/addiction comorbidities at Wave 2, among daily smokers who had current or lifetime history diagnosis of the outcome of interest at Wave 1, quitting by Wave 2 predicted a decreased risk of mood/anxiety disorder (aOR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4, 0.9) and alcohol disorder (aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5, 0.99) at Wave 2. Among daily smokers with no lifetime history diagnosis of the outcome of interest at Wave 1, quitting smoking by Wave 2 predicted a decreased risk of drug use disorder at Wave 2 aOR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1, 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: There is no support in our data for the concern that smoking cessation would result in smokers’ increased risk of some mental disorders. To the contrary, our data suggest that smoking cessation is associated with risk reduction for mood/anxiety or alcohol use disorder, even among smokers who have had a pre-existing disorder

Mental health of female foreign spouses in transnational marriages in southern Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to investigate the mental health status, and the risk factors associated with mild psychiatric disorders, of female foreign spouses (from Vietnam, Indonesia, and mainland China) in southern Taiwan, and to understand the mental health needs of these women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and twenty nine participants were willing to participate in this study. All participants fulfilled all questionnaires which included demographic information, the Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and the Mental Health Care Needs Questionnaire (MHCNQ).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By multiple linear regression, neuroticism characteristics (p = 0.000), the dimension of knowledge of the level of their own psychological disturbance (p = 0.001), dimension of friends assistance (p = 0.033), and dimension of religion comfort (p = 0.041) in mental health care needs could be used to predict possible mild psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, SEM model showed that Indonesian or Vietnamese spouses have more likely degree in mental health care needs (β = -0.24, <it>p </it>= 0.003), compared with Chinese ones. A higher level of neuroticism was associated with a greater likelihood of mild psychiatric disorder (β = 0.54, <it>p </it>< 0.001), and of mental health care needs (β = 0.21, <it>p </it>= 0.013). A higher degree of mental health care needs was related to a greater likelihood of mild psychiatric disorder (β = 0.14, <it>p </it>= 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In conclusion, we have obtained a better understanding of the mental health status of female foreign spouses in transnational marriages, who face many difficulties. Indonesian or Vietnamese spouses tend to more likely degree in mental health care needs than Chinese spouses, and then indirectly influenced their mental health status. Some individuals with a neurotic personality are exposed to high risk and might suffer from mild psychiatric symptoms. The needs for psychological counseling and religion therapy were the first priority for these women, particularly the Indonesian and Vietnamese spouses. From these findings, we have a better understanding of how to assist these female foreign spouses in future.</p