Results: 20

For: brain imaging

MRI in first episode psychosis

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Dan Joyce publishes his debut blog on a recent paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry that considers the feasibility and clinical utility of magnetic resonance imaging in first-episode psychosis.

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How can genetics help us better understand, diagnose and treat mental illness? An interview with Andrew McIntosh

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This World Mental Health Day, we share a Wellcome Trust interview with Professor Andrew McIntosh, who has a £4.7 million award to explore why people develop depression. He tells Wellcome how he hopes his work will improve the lives of people with mental health conditions, and how he looks after his own mental wellbeing.

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Microglial activity in psychosis and schizophrenia

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Samei Huda summarises a small PET brain imaging study, which looks at two cohorts (Ultra High Risk of Psychosis v Controls and Schizophrenia v Controls) to compare relative levels of microglial activity.

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Rise of the machine learning algorithm: the future of diagnosing schizophrenia?

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Samei Huda reviews a meta-analysis of multivariate pattern recognition studies, which aims to detect neuroimaging biomarkers for schizophrenia.

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Placebo responding and µ-opioid brain functioning predict efficiency of antidepressants

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Dan-Mikael Ellingsen explores the neurochemistry of placebo effects in major depression, as he reviews a recent study of the association between placebo-activated neural systems and antidepressant responses.

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Can fMRI measuring striatal connectivity help predict response to antipsychotics?

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Samei Huda steps into George Clooney’s shoes to discuss baseline striatal functional connectivity as a predictor of response to antipsychotic drug treatment.

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Imaging genomics: can we link genes to brain structure and function?

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Linking brain scans with genetic information offers a powerful way to further our understanding of how the brain works, but to do this properly many researchers from around the world need to collaborate. Fortunately, the ENIGMA Consortium are leading the way in this emerging field of imaging genomics.

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Antidepressants work by changing emotional processing

The road to recovery can be long and people need time and space to

For people who are suffering from a severe depression, antidepressants are a very effective treatment, but how they work is still not fully understood.  The basic biochemistry of how one dose of the drug affects one part of the nervous system is known, e.g. increasing serotonin levels at the synapse by preventing it from being [read the full story…]

Super Mario changes your brain

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Some of the elves in our neck of the woods like to go on a trip to Mushroom Kingdom from time to time, just to relax and boost their abilities you understand.  Unfortunately being able to double in size or become invincible hasn’t happened in real life yet, but a recent study has looked at [read the full story…]

Are humans like monkeys? MRI scanning suggests similarities and differences that might help future research

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Does a mouse think like a human? Does a cat? Does a macaque monkey? These are fascinating questions to ask on a philosophical level, but they are also of immense practical importance. Current regulations on drug development mean that animal research plays a huge role in deciding what substances might be safe and beneficial to humans.  [read the full story…]