Thursday, November 12, 2009
New Intel Device Helps Overcome Problems With Reading, Learning
Intel has released a new gadget for people with vision problems, autism, dyslexia, and other conditions that can make reading difficult. With the Intel Reader you can take pictures of book pages, letters, and product labels and the device will read out the text back while showing magnified print on the screen. While designed to be used by people with certain disabilities, we can also see using this device to learn how to read a new language.
The Intel Reader, about the size of a paperback book, converts printed text to digital text, and then reads it aloud to the user. Its unique design combines a high-resolution camera with the power of an Intel® Atom™ processor, allowing users to point, shoot and listen to printed text.When the Intel Reader is used together with the Intel® Portable Capture Station, large amounts of text, such as a chapter or an entire book, can be easily captured for reading later. Users will have convenient and flexible access to a variety of printed materials, helping to not only increase their freedom, but improve their productivity and efficiency at school, work and home. The Intel Reader has been endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association as an important advance in assistive technology. Additionally, Intel is working with the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, the Council for Exceptional Children, Lighthouse International, the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the National Federation of the Blind to help reach and address the needs of people who have difficulty reading print.
Press release: Ready, Set, Read: Intel® Reader Transforms Printed Text to Spoken Word ...
Product page: Intel Reader ...
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Image Recognition Technology to Expand Abilities of Microsoft's Digital Camera Device
Microsoft has partnered with Oxford Metrics Group (Oxford, UK), a company specializing in computer vision applications, to further develop Microsoft's ViconRevue (formerly SenseCam) digital camera-like gadget. The device continuously snaps a picture every 30 seconds, hence it might be worn around the neck by patients with memory problems (i.e. Alzheimer's, s/p hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy). The device is thought to help people refresh themselves on the activities of the past day. With Oxford Metrics Group's software built-in, the ViconRevue should be able to perform some pretty nifty tricks by recognizing objects and faces in its field of view.
Press release: IP LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT...
Flashback: Digital Cameras for Dementia Patients
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Novel Product Design Aims to Address Common Autism Behavior
Some children with autism tend to perform compulsive rituals, and these can distract kids from the rest of the world. 
Jesse Resnick, a recent graduate of the product design program at Parsons the New School for Design, proposes a new toy-like device to grab kids' attention and limit compulsive behavior to a short time. The Repeat wrist worn device has flashing rubber knobs that blink in preprogrammed patterns, while the child follows along by using fingers to pinch them. According to the product page, Repeat is "an early-intervention tool for autistic children designed to replace repetitive behaviours (arm flapping, head banging, etc.) with a less distracting, less harmful alternative." It's not clear whether the benefit will be clinically valuable, but it does seem like a novel idea.
Product design page: REPEAT...
(hat tip: Yanko Design)
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Aspect Medical's Quantitative EEG Predicts Long Term Effectiveness of Anti Depression Medication
Aspect Medical Systems, maker of the bispectral index (BIS) monitor thought to be useful for monitoring anesthesia awareness, has been dealt a devastating blow last year by a study published in NEJM under the title Anesthesia Awareness and the Bispectral Index. The 2000 strong patient trial reported by Avidan, et al from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found the company's processed electroencephalogram technology is not essential "as part of standard practice."
Now Aspect Medical Systems is trying its hand in a new market: psychiatry. Finding an appropriate medication, as well as its dose, for a particular patient with bipolar disorder can take a good deal of time and is done without real quantitative tools. The clinical trial being reported by Aspect Medical is supposedly showing that the company's EEG-based system can be used to track whether a given SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, like Prozac or Paxil) is having positive results on a patient a week after initial doses were administered.
The BRITE trial was conducted in collaboration with leading investigators from nine facilities across the United States and enrolled 375 patients. Patient response was defined by researchers as a 50 percent improvement in depression symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) after seven weeks of treatment, and remission was defined as recovery from depression (HAM-D <7) after seven weeks of treatment. In the BRITE study, ATR at one week predicted response and remission with 74 percent accuracy in subjects treated for seven weeks with escitalopram, which was statistically significant. Modeled study data also indicates that subjects who were ATR predicted non-responders to escitalopram had better outcomes if they were randomized to switch to bupropion, an antidepressant with a different mechanism of action than escitalopram.Data from a study at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigating ATR as a predictor of treatment response was also recently published in European Neuropsychopharmacology. The MGH study evaluated ATR in 82 major depression patients receiving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), and venlafaxine, and showed that use of ATR after the first week of antidepressant treatment may be predictive of treatment efficacy.
Continuing the ATR research effort, BRITE trial investigator Dr. Ian Cook at UCLA received a significant grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health to conduct a multi-year follow-on study of ATR called the PRISE-MD study (Personalized Response Indicators of SSRI Effectiveness in Major Depression). The PRISE-MD study will prospectively evaluate the ability of ATR to predict response to escitalopram as well as the clinical utility of ATR-directed treatment with escitalopram or an alternate treatment with bupropion.
Aspect Medical Systems press statement: Aspect Medical Systems Announces Publication of BRITE-MD Trial Results in Psychiatry Research...
More about the technology at Technology Review...
Abstract in Psychiatry Research: Comparative effectiveness of biomarkers and clinical indicators for predicting outcomes of SSRI treatment in Major Depressive Disorder: Results of the BRITE-MD study
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
LENA Audio Monitor Analyses Speech Patterns to Help Detect Autism Earlier
Autistic children often show specific behavior patterns in the way they speak with others. These patterns, if detected, could be used as an early sign of autism, but enough data needs to be collected in order to help with making a diagnosis. LENA, a device from the LENA Foundation that became available earlier this month, is a portable recorder that can make available a day's worth of a child's interaction to professionals for close review.
From the product page:
What is LENA? LENA is the only technology that automatically collects and analyzes information about a child’s natural language environment and development. The LENA feedback reports help parents improve a child’s cumulative language experience and accelerate that child’s language and cognitive development, and preparedness for school.Who is LENA for? Parents and caregivers of children ages 0 to 4.
Why is it important? Several hundred research studies over the last 50 years document the importance of talking to and interacting with your baby, especially during the first three years. Groundbreaking research by two renowned university researchers, Drs. Betty Hart, Ph.D., and Todd Risley, Ph.D., revealed that the quantity of talk a child experienced between birth and age 3 directly correlated with the child’s IQ and vocabulary size. The LENA Foundation was founded based on the key elements of this study and our own normative study shows that saying 17,000 words per day, which is equal to the 85th percentile, will greatly enhance your child’s potential.
Who developed it? A team of world-class scientists, including experts in linguistics, speech recognition technology, computer engineering, speech analysis, statistics, speech language pathology, language research and developmental pediatrics. Recognizing that achievement gaps already exist at kindergarten entry, LENA was developed to give parents useful information to help ensure they are providing the richest language environment possible to their children during the critical years between birth and age 4, before they enter school.
How does it work? Parents follow a simple three-step process, 2-3 times a month:
1. In the morning, slip the LENA Digital Language Processor (DLP) into the pocket of specially designed LENA clothing.
2. At the end of the day, plug the DLP into your PC. The audio data will transfer and software analysis begins.
3. View your reports to analyze your conversations, identify patterns of talk throughout the day and receive percentile rank information.
MIT Technology Review provides additional details:
Richards [Jeffrey Richards, a statistician and database technician for the LENA Foundation --ed.] says the LENABaby software, which he helped develop, starts by breaking down the 16-hour audio stream into segments. Each segment is automatically classified according to the type of sound contained in the clip, such as sounds from the child, a parent, or television. Vocalizations from the child are then assessed further using complex algorithms that look at a variety of factors, such as the phonological composition of the each sound and how sounds are clustered and paired. "We're simultaneously looking across many dimensions at the same time," says Richards. Using LENA's database of previously analyzed audio, the software considers how these characteristics compare to those of children developing normally, children with delayed language development, and autistic children.LENABaby can be used for more than a basic diagnosis, helping to track a child's language development. This could make it a valuable tool for clinicians who otherwise have to rely on data collected during brief, infrequent visits.
More from Technology Review...
Product page: LENA...
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Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Brainsway's Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Gets European Regulatory Approval for Treatment of Depression
Brainsway, a firm building transcranial magnetic stimulation systems (TMS) out of Jerusalem, Israel, just received European approval to market its devices for the treatment of depression. The TMS treatment is likely to be used initially for cases of severe drug resistant depression. But we can envision a day when this technology becomes a mainstream therapeutic option for bipolar disorder and some other psychiatric diseases.
About the technology from Brainsway:
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive technique used to apply brief magnetic pulses to the brain. The pulses are administered by passing high currents through an electromagnetic coil placed adjacent to a patient's scalp. The pulses induce an electric field in the underlying brain tissue. When the induced field is above a certain threshold, and is directed in an appropriate orientation relative the brain's neuronal pathways, localized axonal depolarizations are produced, thus activating the neurons in the relevant brain structure.Standard TMS coils are limited to activation of only cortical brain regions, up to a depth of about 1.5 cm. Hence when treating depression with a standard TMS system, the limbic system, which is related to mood regulation and is generally deeper than 1.5 cm, is only indirectly affected, through secondary processes involving cortical structures, which are directly activated by TMS and then affect the deeper limbic system structures.
Globes Online: Brainsway depression treatment gets European OK...
Product page: Brainsway Deep TMS System...
Flashbacks: Brainsway TMS archives...
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009
rethink autism Online Platform for Autism Therapy at Home
Therapy sessions for autistic kids are not only expensive, but can also present a daunting challenge that typically involves going to an unfamiliar clinical environment. To help parents and caretakers work directly with kids in their own home, rethink autism online training application has been developed. According to the company with the same name, the application is based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques. By offering video demonstrations of effective therapeutic approaches, coupled with a platform for development of personalized lesson plans, rethink autism may serve as a complement to existing therapy sessions as well as an effective option for those without access to professionals.
Here's a company introduction to the rethink autism program:
Link: rethink autism
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Monday, August 31, 2009
orbiTouch Keyboard Helps Autistic Kids Get The Word Out
Computers can provide a layer of separation that can be helpful to interacting with autistic kids, consequently they have become a popular tool for one on one therapy sessions. The keyboard, though, can be too confusing and difficult to use and can itself become an obstacle to communication. And since autistic kids tend to be visual learners, a new project that uses a different type of keyboard is helping kids learn to communicate with their families and therapists. The orbiTouch from Blue Orb (Maitland, Florida) is a keyboard, originally developed for people with bad hands , that sports two controllers that, with the help of a color chart, let the user select which letter is to be typed.
The National Science Foundation reports on Project Blue Skies:
With Project Blue Skies, the hardware is matched to lesson plans, training aids such as games, and assessment tools. The two-grip device is ideal for people with autism because it is less distracting than a keyboard and does not require finger motion.In addition, the various letter and number combinations are created by matching color schemes indicated on the two grips, so the training curriculum matches well to a game-like environment.
Teachers guide the students and monitor their progress, ultimately helping the kids better communicate with their families. While the primary goal of Project Blue Skies is to help people with autism develop stronger social skills, McAlindon [Pete McAlindon of BlueOrb] is working with partners to start integrating standard coursework into the program.
Press release: Removing the Barriers of Autism
Link: Project Blue Skies
Product page: orbiTouch Keyless Ergonomic Keyboard
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Friday, August 7, 2009
VA to Trial Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for ADD
Israeli business newspaper Globes is reporting that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has signed an agreement with Brainsway, a Jerusalem company profiled by us many times before, to trial the firm's deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device on twenty patients with attention deficit disorder. Experts believe that TMS technology might become increasingly useful as a new way to treat a variety of psychiatric and neurological problems, such as bipolar disorder, cocaine or nicotine addiction, or even as a treatment for symptoms of Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.
More about the upcoming trial from Globes...
Flashbacks: Brainsway to Test TMS for Smoking Cessation; Magnetic Brain Stimulation for Cocaine Addiction, Multiple Sclerosis?; Neuronetics TMS Depression Therapy Gets FDA OK; Experiencing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Positive Results Reported for Deep TMS H System For Depression; Deep TMS Technology by Brainsway
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Think Your Own Music Outloud
You know that tune you hum to yourself in your head? Or maybe that song that is stuck in your brain? Now, thanks to MRI researchers, you can play that for everyone around you. Dan Loyd and researchers at Trinity College have developed a media player for your brain.
Using MRI images to study active parts of the brain during various tasks or thoughts, pitches are asigned to different regions. These are then used to generate notes played at varying intensities to match the intensity of the active brain region.
While this may seem fun and whimsical, the motivation for this work is much more serious. Lloyd is comparing scans of volunteers with dementia and schizophrenia patients to gain insight into unlocking the mysteries of these conditions.
New Scientist : Eavesdropping on the music of the brain
Trinity College: Dan Lloyd
(hat tip to Gizmodo)
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Coming Soon: Online Treatment for Insomnia
Researchers from the University of Virginia Health System conducted a study of an internet based intervention program designed to help people suffering from insomnia. The cleverly named SHUTi (Sleep Healthy Using the Internet) online app offers clinical outcomes that seem to be as good or even better than those achieved with personalized treatments offered by therapists. Here's one of the lead members of the research team speaking about the study:
JAMA/Archives Media Relations Dept weights in:: Internet-Based Intervention May Improve Insomnia...
Abstract in Archives of General Psychiatry: Efficacy of an Internet-Based Behavioral Intervention for Adults With Insomnia Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009;66(7):692-698.
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Brainsway to Test TMS for Smoking Cessation
Brainsway Ltd. out of Jerusalem, Israel, a company we've been covering over the last few years, has received local approval to conduct clinical trials of its deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as an aid in quitting smoking. The drastic approach is to be tested on about 100 lung cancer patients that have not been able to quit using other methods.
More from Globes Online...
Flashbacks: Magnetic Brain Stimulation for Cocaine Addiction, Multiple Sclerosis?; Positive Results Reported for Deep TMS H System For Depression; Deep TMS Technology by Brainsway
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009
PlayStation May Help Burn Victims Adjust to New Reality
Following severe injury or reconstructive surgery that considerably alters patient's visual appearance, many people suffer from psychological issues trying to adjust to the new reality. Becoming comfortable with oneself and having a good impression of how one looks to others can greatly improve self esteem and help move on with life. To aid and accelerate this process, Dr. Joseph Haik, a plastic surgeon and burn specialist at Tel Aviv University and director of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center-Tel Hashomer Hospital's Burn Unit, has been recommending the EyeToy accessory for the Sony PlayStation to many of his patients. The EyeToy uses a camera atop a television to place a player inside the game he's playing. By seeing oneself in action in the game, Dr. Haik believes patients can get more comfortable with their new exterior.
Here's a video giving a good idea of what an EyeToy game looks like:
More from ISRAEL21c...
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Thursday, May 21, 2009
Libra DBS Showing More Promise in Study
St. Jude Medical has released results of a Canadian study evaluating the effectiveness of the firm's deep brain stimulation (DBS) system for treatment of drug resistant depression. The device is designed to send electrical signals to the Brodmann Area of the brain via implanted electrodes, a modality that looks more and more promising to alleviate symptoms in patients with advanced depression.
This study profiles 21 patients with DBS therapy in the area of the brain known as Brodmann Area 25, most of whom have completed one year of post-surgery evaluation. At six months, 62 percent of the patients experienced at least a 40-percent decrease in symptoms of depression as measured by a standardized test called the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Of these patients, 92 percent maintained this improvement at their last follow-up visit (typically at one year). Additionally, 71 percent of all patients in the study exhibited at least a 40-percent decrease in symptoms of depression as measured by the Hamilton scale.Ongoing at three leading Canadian academic medical centers, the study utilizes the St. Jude Medical Libra® Deep Brain Stimulation System to deliver stimulation to an area of the brain known as Brodmann Area 25, which appears to become overactive in severely depressed people.
Patients in the study had suffered from depression for an average of 20 years, had tried in excess of 12 depression medications and were considered disabled or unable to work at the time of enrollment. At the 12-month evaluation point, eight of the study patients had returned to daily life activities such as school, work and sustaining relationships with family and friends, and two patients were considered to be in remission.
Press release: Patients in St. Jude Medical Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression Pilot Study Demonstrate Sustained Improvement in Depression Symptoms
Flashbacks: St. Jude Receives Patent for Anti Depression Neurostimulation Method; St. Jude Begins Trial of Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression; European Union Approves Deep Brain Stimulation Systems for Parkinson's; Libra DBS for Parkinson's Going Live in Europe
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Monday, April 27, 2009
Magnetic Brain Stimulation for Cocaine Addiction, Multiple Sclerosis?
Brainsway Inc., a Jerusalem, Israel firm that develops deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) machines, has announced receiving approval from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to conduct a trial of its product to test whether the system can be used to treat cocaine addicted patients. Additionally, the company plans to test its device in a Berlin hospital as a treatment option for people with symptomatic multiple sclerosis.
About TMS therapy from Brainsway:
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive technique used to apply brief magnetic pulses to the brain. The pulses are administered by passing high currents through an electromagnetic coil placed adjacent to a patient's scalp. The pulses induce an electric field in the underlying brain tissue. When the induced field is above a certain threshold, and is directed in an appropriate orientation relative the brain's neuronal pathways, localized axonal depolarizations are produced, thus activating the neurons in the relevant brain structure.
The unique technology of Brainsway Deep TMS System enables direct non-invasive activation of deep brain structures.
Deep TMS is a breakthrough in the search for a non-invasive approach for treating common brain disorders. Deep TMS uses a unique, patented coil design to produce directed electromagnetic fields that can induce excitation or inhibition of neurons deep inside the brain. The treatment is non-invasive, with no significant side effects, no systemic effect (in contrast to drugs), and no need of hospitalization or anesthesia.
More from Globes [Online]...
Flashbacks: Deep TMS Technology by Brainsway ; Medgadget TMS archives...
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Heavy Hydrogen Promises Better Versions of Current Drugs
Deuterium, a hydrogen atom with an extra neutron in the nucleus, has the property of forming stronger bonds with other atoms. It turns out that by replacing hydrogen atoms with deuterium in drug molecules, it is possible to improve the pharmacodynamic and even pharmacokinetic profiles of some drugs.
The field of pharmacologic deuteration is so promising that new companies are springing up, ready to convert already successful meds into deuterated drugs. Take for example Auspex Pharmaceuticals, a Vista, CA startup. The company reports that it has close to 50 drug candidates in its pipeline, including propanolol, simvastatin, and azythromycin. (Here''s a compelete list of product candidates from Auspex.)
The other company developing deuterated compounds is Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from Lexington, Mass., which just announced positive results from Phase I clinical study of its CTP-347 drug, "an investigational non-hormonal treatment for vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes)." It turns out that CTP-347 is none other than a Prozac (Paroxetine) version ready to be deployed in thermonuclear weapons, thanks to its 2H modification of the Paroxetine molecule.
Here's what Concert Pharmaceuticals says about the results of the trial:
CTP-347, a novel deuterium-modified analog of paroxetine discovered at Concert, was well-tolerated at all doses. Paroxetine is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has been shown to reduce vasomotor symptoms. However, paroxetine inactivates the important liver enzyme CYP2D6 which can lead to serious side effects when used in combination with many common medications. In contrast, in this study, CTP-347 substantially retained the activity of this key enzyme, potentially enabling its broader use with other drugs. These clinical results confirm Concert’s preclinical observations. The Company expects to present the complete Phase 1 results at a future medical meeting in 2009.“After our encouraging preclinical findings with CTP-347, we were pleased to see a consistent deuterium effect in a clinical setting,” stated Roger Tung, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Concert Pharmaceuticals. “In preclinical studies, Concert has shown that selective deuterium substitution can improve the metabolic fate of drugs across a variety of parameters. This study addresses one important parameter and supports our belief that deuterium technology has great potential for rapidly creating best-in-class medicines with reduced risk.”
The Phase 1 clinical trial was a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending single- and multiple-dose study in 94 healthy volunteers. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of CTP-347. In this trial, CTP-347 was well-tolerated at all doses evaluated; there were no clinically significant adverse events reported and the pharmacokinetics were consistent with those observed in preclinical studies. As part of the multi-dose phase of the study, the extent to which CTP-347 inhibits the drug-metabolizing enzyme, CYP2D6, was evaluated by co-dosing subjects with dextromethorphan, which is metabolized by CYP2D6. In this portion of the study, women dosed with CTP-347 substantially retained their ability to metabolize dextromethorphan, suggesting that time-dependent inactivation of CYP2D6 was not observed with CTP-347 and indicating that CTP-347 may have a reduced potential for drug-drug interactions.
Press release from Concert Pharma: Concert Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Results from Phase I Clinical Study of CTP-347; Concert Pharmaceuticals website...
Press release from Auspex Pharma: Positive Results From Clinical Study Of SD-254 (.pdf)... ; Auspex Pharmaceuticals website...
More from Nature News...
Top image: ThomasThomas
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Medtronic's Reclaim Deep Brain Stim Approved for Some OCD Sufferers
Medtronic's Reclaim deep brain stimulation system has received a humanitarian device exemption (HDE) from the FDA for treatment of severe cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Such a ruling, without apparent hard data on efficacy of the treatment for OCD, shows that the FDA nevertheless believes the device will probably do more good than harm in a highly preselected group of patients.
From a Medtronic press release:
The company also announced the first enrollment in its multi-center, randomized clinical trial of DBS for treatment-resistant depression. Medtronic is proceeding with U.S. FDA Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval for five centers to enroll patients in the clinical trial of DBS for treatment-resistant depression throughout the United States, including the Cleveland Clinic, which was the first to enroll a patient in the trial.Reclaim DBS is the first medical device to receive U.S. FDA approval for the treatment of OCD and is also the first psychiatric indication to be approved for DBS. Medtronic plans to make Reclaim DBS Therapy for OCD available in the United States by mid-2009.
Study Results of DBS for OCD
Collaborative clinical research of DBS therapy using Medtronic devices began in 1998 with the first implant in Europe (the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium). The research was also conducted at three U.S. medical centers (Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I., Cleveland Clinic, and University of Florida, Gainesville). These institutions studied DBS therapy in 26 patients with severe, treatment-resistant OCD and the data from the studies were consolidated and recently published in the journal, Molecular Psychiatry. The combined long-term results of those studies reveal clinically meaningful symptom reductions and functional improvement in about two-thirds of patients. In addition, a majority of the 26 patients moved from a severe OCD rating at the start of the study to a mild or moderate rating at various follow-ups after device implantation. The reductions in OCD symptoms were associated with marked functional improvements in psychological, social and occupational domains.
As the authors reported in the publication, a total of 23 serious adverse events were reported in 11 subjects (42 percent) of which 15 of the 23 events were associated with the surgical implant procedure, device, or therapy, all of which were resolved without sequelea. Adverse events such as changes in mood and anxiety were transient and most of them resolved with stimulation parameter changes. The studies show DBS for OCD may hold promise as a therapy when there is a dedicated interdisciplinary team that is expert in patient selection, implantation, stimulation and the long-term management of severely ill psychiatric patients.
Product page: Reclaim™ DBS Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
"Evocative Gene-Environment Correlation": Do Geeks Result From Decreased Expression of a "Rule-Breaking" Gene?
Could the promising world of gene-therapy even make geeks more popular? A study released by behavioral geneticist S. Alexandra Burt of the Michigan State University demonstrates that the behavioral expression of a "rule-breaking" gene is linked to popularity in adolescents. So that's why the "bad-guys" got all the babes
A groundbreaking study of popularity by a Michigan State University scientist has found that genes elicit not only specific behaviors but also the social consequences of those behaviors.According to the investigation by behavioral geneticist S. Alexandra Burt, male college students who had a gene associated with rule-breaking behavior were rated most popular by a group of previously unacquainted peers.
It’s not unusual for adolescent rule-breakers to be well-liked – previous research has made that link – but Burt is the first to provide meaningful evidence for the role of a specific gene in this process. The study appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, which is published by the American Psychological Association.
“The idea is that your genes predispose you to certain behaviors and those behaviors elicit different kinds of social reactions from others,” said Burt, assistant professor of psychology. “And so what’s happening is, your genes are to some extent driving your social experiences.”
The concept – which researchers call “evocative gene-environment correlation” – had been discussed in scientific literature but only in theory. This study is the first to really flesh out the process, establishing clear connections between a specific gene, particular behaviors and actual social situations, she said.Burt collected DNA from more than 200 male college students in two separate samples. After interacting in a lab setting for about an hour, the students filled out a questionnaire about whom they most liked in their group. In both samples, the most popular students turned out to be the ones with a particular form of a serotonin gene that was also associated with rule-breaking behavior.
“So the gene predisposed them to rule-breaking behavior and their rule-breaking behavior made them more popular,” Burt said.
Burt is working on similar studies with female college students, as well as mixed-gender social groups. She also plans to explore associations with other social behaviors and other genes in larger samples.
Press release: MSU research: Genes may influence popularity...
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Friday, December 5, 2008
Living Life To The Full...helping you to help yourself
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves psychotherapeutic techniques to influence problematic and dysfunctional behaviors, emotions and thoughts through a systematic, and goal-oriented procedure. It is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. The CBT therapy is designed to be short-term in nature.
Dr Chris Williams, a Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the University of Glasgow has developed a computer-based self-help treatment program that targets anxiety, depression and bulimia. National Health Scotland (and Greater Glasgow and Clyde) has provided support for this free web-based initiative, so no more excuses about not being able to afford the money or time.
Why Life Skills?ImageDistress, low mood and worry are the major mental health problems of the 21st Century and affect more than one in three of us at some time. Treatments are mainly either with antidepressant medication or are psychological (the so-called "talking therapies").
Psychological treatments are popular and approaches such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) have been shown to be effective however access to specialist therapy services is often limited. There is a need to develop new ways of accessing these psychological treatments that are effective and easily available. The Living Life to the Full course aims to provide easy access to CBT skills - and does so in a way that cuts through jargon. By empowering users to understand why they feel as they do, and to learn new ways of improving how they feel the course aims to provide ready access to key information. The course is based on "Helping people to help themselves". A crucial element is to inform, educate and teach key life skills. The course is supported by a series of CBT self-help workbooks that can be used between the e-learning sessions. They encourage the reader to put what they are learning into practice, and to stop, think and reflect on what is being learned.
Self-help materials are increasingly available and are popular with the general public and health care practitioners. Any good bookshop is likely to have a significantly sized self-help section. Self-help books are often amongst the top ten best-selling books. In America and Great Britain, a number of self-help materials have been assessed and been shown to be effective. A review of 40 self-help studies from 1974 to 1990 identified that some types of problem such as anxiety and depression are more likely to be amenable to change than others (Gould and Clum, 1993).
The Living Life to the Full course uses this popular self-help format, and also the CBT model which has a proven effectiveness in helping people develop life skills that help them tackle feelings of low mood, stress and distress.
More from Living Life To The Full...
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» Developing the Next Generation of DBS Devices (November 20, 2008)
» Neuronetics TMS Depression Therapy Gets FDA OK (October 9, 2008)
» Epocrates Rx Now on iPhone (July 14, 2008)
» The Suicidality Monitoring System: The 10-foot Pole of Clinical Trials (June 19, 2008)
» Experiencing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (May 19, 2008)
» MEMENTO Memory LifeBook Concept (May 12, 2008)
» New Data Shows that Deep Brain Stimulation Useful for Severe, Treatment Resistant Depression and OCD (April 28, 2008)
» St. Jude Receives Patent for Anti Depression Neurostimulation Method (April 22, 2008)
» Video Case Studies from NIAAA: Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much (April 8, 2008)
» Virtual Reality to Fight Real Paranoia (April 3, 2008)
» Using Mirrors to Treat Phantom Limb Pain (March 25, 2008)
» Home Bi-Polar Test Kits Cause Mixed Emotions (March 25, 2008)
» The Blogging Madness (March 19, 2008)
» Exmocare Emotion Detection Technology: Capitalizing on How R U (March 14, 2008)
» Positive Results Reported for Deep TMS H System For Depression (February 19, 2008)
» St. Jude Begins Trial of Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression (February 8, 2008)
» "Curb Your Enthusiasm" As Clinical Tool (November 29, 2007)
» PatchPump™: PCA in a Button (November 5, 2007)
» Virtual Reality for PTSD (August 28, 2007)
» Virtual Reality for Virtual Unreality (August 24, 2007)
» "Sleights of Mind" at NYT (August 21, 2007)
» Aquanauts to the Rescue! (August 14, 2007)
» Bedside Test Accurately Predicts 6 Year Risk of Dementia (June 12, 2007)
» Digital Strait Jacket Helps Diagnose Mental Disorders (June 4, 2007)
» Transforming the Psychiatrist's Office (May 30, 2007)
» Experience Schizophrenia with Virtual Hallucinating Goggles (May 22, 2007)
» 'Virtual Iraq' to Study, Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (May 17, 2007)
» Depressed? Try Surfing the Internet (April 12, 2007)
» Call a Name for Autistic Child's Sake (April 5, 2007)
» Technology Used to Measure Empathy (March 19, 2007)
» Virtual Reality Game Links Depression to Hippocampus (March 5, 2007)
» LINKX Links Play and Language for Autistic Children (February 27, 2007)
» New Video Games Aim at Improving Mental Health (February 8, 2007)
» Deep TMS Technology by Brainsway (January 5, 2007)
» The Sun Will Come Out... NOW. (January 5, 2007)
» Virtual Reality Helps Young Burn Patients (January 4, 2007)
» Primetime Basic Instincts: Milgram Experiment on TV (January 3, 2007)
» Computer Characters Tortured for Science (December 28, 2006)
» Whipping Up Enthusiasm (with whips) (December 22, 2006)
» FDA to Consider Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation System (December 12, 2006)
» New Test Superior to MMSE (November 6, 2006)
» Net-Based Therapy for Depression (October 27, 2006)
» A New Tool for Evaluating Learning Disabilities in Children (October 24, 2006)
» Combing for Clues to Anorexia and Bulemia (October 19, 2006)
» Creating Your Own "Shadow Person" (September 25, 2006)
» MRI Lie Detection System Under Development; Liars: "We're Not Worried" (August 9, 2006)
» Depressed? Special K to the Rescue! (August 9, 2006)
» Spray-On Helps Ease Children's Trauma (August 2, 2006)
» Clover: A Cartoon Bridge to the Mind of Abused Child (August 1, 2006)
» Software to Curb Alcohol Addiction (August 1, 2006)
» eXimia NBS System (July 6, 2006)
» emWave Personal Stress Reliever (June 27, 2006)
» Deep Brain Stimulation Shows Promise in Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (April 27, 2006)
» StressEraser Calmly Accepts Award (March 29, 2006)
» What's the Matter with White Matter? (March 27, 2006)
» Homing in on the Gateway to Pleasure (March 23, 2006)
» Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Schizophrenia? (March 13, 2006)
» "It's like hooking up patients to a car battery" (March 3, 2006)
» Depression treatment now goes skin deep! (March 1, 2006)
» Brain Imaging for Psychiatric Disorders: A Review (January 24, 2006)
» Id TV (December 22, 2005)
» Like Marriage, Like Health (December 15, 2005)
» Internet May Aid in Treating Panic Sufferers (November 23, 2005)
» StressEraser Now Available: A Nation Chills Out (October 24, 2005)
» Plushies: for Fear of Nuclear Annihilation (October 21, 2005)
» In the Works: IT-Enabled Prototype Psychiatric Pharmacogenomics Tool (October 17, 2005)
» Anxiety in the Blood (October 11, 2005)
» The Long, Strange Trip of LSD (September 16, 2005)
» VNS for Depression (July 18, 2005)
» VRx for PTSD (June 22, 2005)
» LifeShirt: Clothes that Feel Back (June 16, 2005)
» My Word is (Spray) Bond (June 3, 2005)
» Psychiatric VRx (virtual reality therapy) (May 20, 2005)
» TMS Studied for Difficult-to-Treat Cases of Depression (May 11, 2005)
» The Snoezelen Therapy (April 18, 2005)
» Bio Acoustical Utilization Device (BAUD) (March 14, 2005)
» Kinetra® Dual-Channel Neurostimulator (March 7, 2005)
» Brain Implant Relieves Depression (March 3, 2005)
» VNS Therapy for depression? (February 3, 2005)
» Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) (December 27, 2004)
