An international team of scientists has reported finding two more genetic risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. Includes comments by co-author and WUSTL professor of genetics in psychiatry Alison Goate.

References:

1. Sept. 8, 2009 — More Alzheimer genetic risk factors found in the United Press International

and 3 others.

Researchers suggest that unlike money, social experiences can provide happy memories, which don't wear away as fast as the rush of buying a new possession. But WUSTL [marketing professor Joseph Goodman] and a Texas colleague have found that negative experiences can have a more negative impact on happiness than other spending of a comparable amount.

References:

1. Aug. 5, 2009 — Happiness: Staying positive in negative territory in the USA Today

and 1 others.

A child psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, treats tiny babies who have "flat affect" -- no joy in the things that a baby would normally delight in. Refrence made to a WUSTL study on childhood depression [led by WUSTL psychiatry professor Joan Luby].

References:

1. Aug. 4, 2009 — Can Toddlers Get Depressed? Yes, and Parents Can Help Them Feel Better in the U.S. News & World Report online

While a number of studies in recent years have found toddlers -- and even babies -- can suffer from major depressive disorder, doctors have debated whether preschool depression was an isolated blip in a child's development or a sign of future problems. According to a new WUSTL study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, preschoolers can suffer from major depression, and those children are likely to face depression again in elementary school.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2009 — Toddler Depression -- Real or a Phase? in the ABCNews.com

WUSTL neurologist and study author James Galvin says more than 74 percent of Parkinson's patients have trouble sleeping, and up to 80 percent of patients age 65 and older who have Parkinson's disease for seven years will develop dementia.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2009 — Sleep linked to Parkinson's dementia in the United Press International

and 1 others.

Technological and computational advances have enabled researchers to image the brain's wrinkled exterior in stunning detail, mapping the size and shape of each fold. Scientists pursuing this new discipline of "cortical cartography'' expect it to yield insights into how the brain develops and what happens when things go awry. WUSTL neurobiologist David Van Essen comments.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2009 — Unfolding the mysteries of the brain in the The Boston Globe

Eric Wolbert has been a non-smoker for 30 days. He quit his pack-a-day habit because he has watched cigarettes hurt too many people, including his grandparents, who died of lung cancer, he said. As part of his third attempt at quitting, Wolbert signed up for a seven-week group therapy program called "Freedom From Smoking" at WUSTL.

References:

1. July 5, 2009 — How to quit smoking in the Chicago Tribune

and 1 others.

WUSTL neuroscientist David Holtzman and colleagues have devised a test that shows whether an experimental medication has a chance of working in Alzheimer's patients.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — David Holtzman: Attacking Alzheimer's With a New Test for Amyloid Beta in the U.S. News & World Report online

A new study in The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry finds that as the drinking age has gone up, binge drinking has gone down -- except among college students. Includes comments by study leader WUSTL psychiatry professor Richard Grucza.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — Patterns: Drinking Age Affects Bingeing, to a Point in the The New York Times

Not taking some R&R could leave you carrying some heavy baggage down the line, bringing you and your company down. WUSTL entrepreneurship specialist Clifford Holekamp advises that shorter vacations are less stressful for small startups that are "very dependent on the founder to run the day-to-day operations."

References:

1. June 25, 2009 — Vacation: What the Heck Is That? in the MSN Money

Are some people hardwired to get the blues? Scientists have long believed that a tendency toward melancholy runs in families. A new study published on June 16 in JAMA now threatens to send researchers back to the drawing board. The meta-analysis of 14 prior studies concludes that the so-called depression gene may not be associated with an elevated risk for depression, as many researchers had believed. WUSTL psychiatric geneticist Alexandre Todorov, whose 2007 peer-reviewed study was included in the JAMA piece, comments.

References:

1. June 17, 2009 — Study: 'Depression Gene' Doesn't Predict the Blues in the Time.com

If at first you don't succeed, tell the world about it -- because Web culture has become obsessed with "failure videos," mostly on YouTube. Whatever the reason, the sharing of personal missteps has become a part of today's e-culture. WUSTL psychology professor Don Fitz comments.

References:

1. May 30, 2009 — The culture of failure in the The Boston Globe

The new science of measuring happiness has transformed self-help. Now scholars suggest it could transform society — from tort law to urban planning to medical care. WUSTL law professors Samuel Bagenstos and Margo Schlanger co-wrote a law review article in 2007 suggesting that the emphasis on lost enjoyment of life in jury awards actually makes it harder for the plaintiff to recover.

References:

1. May 10, 2009 — Perfectly Happy in the The Boston Globe

WUSTL scientists have pinpointed compounds in the spinal fluid which may give an early warning of how fast patients with mild dementia will decline.

References:

1. May 11, 2009 — Chemical clue to dementia decline in the BBC News

Matthew Herper reports on the controversy surrounding the FDA and its policy for approving new schizophrenia drugs. Includes comments by WUSTL psychiatry professor John Newcomer.

References:

1. May 8, 2009 — Is The FDA Easing Up? in the Forbes

U.S. researchers suggest autism diagnoses are not occurring soon enough. WUSTL social work professor and study lead author Paul Shattuck comments.

References:

1. May 5, 2009 — Autism diagnosis may occur years late in the United Press International

and 4 others.

Alzheimer's patients sift the important from less important less efficiently early on, according to a study conducted by WUSTL researchers.

References:

1. May 5, 2009 — Early Alzheimer's, think less efficiently in the United Press International

and 2 others.

A single episode of low blood sugar severe enough to require prompt medical attention increases a person's risk of developing dementia in old age, a study in people with diabetes suggests. "This is a worrisome association," says WUSTL endocrinologist Philip Cryer. But he cautions that an association doesn't prove that one factor causes the other.

References:

1. April 14, 2009 — Hypoglycemia linked to dementia in the Science News Web edition

According to a new study led by WUSTL psychiatry professor Kenneth Freedland, two non-drug treatments seem to be more effective than usual care for treating depression in patients who've had coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

References:

1. April 6, 2009 — Psychotherapy Can Ease Post-Surgical Depression in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 15 others.

In some cases the Justice Department can intervene to make state-run institutions comply with civil rights laws. The statute is known as CRIPA -- the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. WUSTL law professor Margo Schlanger, who used to work on CRIPA cases as a Justice Department attorney comments.

References:

1. March 30, 2009 — Settlements In Mental Health Cases Face Scrutiny in the NPR All Things Considered