VA, DoD clinical guideline synopsis details 34 new recommendations for PTSD and acute stress disorder

A synopsis of new clinical guidelines from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) details 34 recommendations for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring conditions. The VA/DoD guidelines notably recommend the use of specific manualized psychotherapies over pharmacotherapy and recommend against the use of benzodiazepines, cannabis, or cannabis-derived products. The synopsis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Cognitive flexibility moderates teacher stress

A recently-published study led by Prof. Einat Levy-Gigi, from Bar-Ilan University, examined for the first time the interactive effect of exposure to stress in the school setting and cognitive flexibility on the tendency to develop post-traumatic symptoms among education and teaching staff. One hundred fifty education and teaching personnel (85% women and 15% men with an average age of 43 and average teaching experience of 13 years) volunteered to participate in the study and underwent an assessment of their exposure to stress, their cognitive flexibility, their ability to cope and their level of post-traumatic symptoms.

New research finds mechanism that regulates PTSD in the female brain

From humans to plants to single-cell organisms, there’s a protein that rules them all. This protein does general housekeeping of the cells, regulating them through normal daily functions. Virginia Tech researchers found that one specific form of this ubiquitous protein has a different function in the female brains – it helps regulate events in the memory that cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Expert: More School Counselors Could Help Address America’s Youth Mental Health Crisis

Last fall, more than 130 children’s organizations urged President Joe Biden to declare a national emergency in response to America’s youth mental health crisis; and an expert panel recommended that children ages 8 to 18 receive routine screenings for anxiety.…

Gene in the brain can put brakes on anxiety, discover scientists

A gene in the brain driving anxiety symptoms has been identified by an international team of scientists. Critically, modification of the gene is shown to reduce anxiety levels, offering an exciting novel drug target for anxiety disorders. The discovery, led by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, is published online today [25 April] in Nature Communications.

FAU’s Cheryl A. Krause-Parello, Ph.D., to be Inducted into ‘2023 International Nurse Research Hall of Fame’

Krause-Parello’s innovative research focuses on the human-animal bond. She developed and is the director of the university-based health research initiative for veterans, Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors (C-P.A.W.W. ™), a program established to advance the health and well-being of members of the armed forces.

Over $5M Awarded to Community Violence Reduction Programs at Penn Medicine

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) awarded over $5 million in grants to three community violence prevention and intervention programs across Penn Medicine. The Penn Medicine programs not only aim to reduce and prevent community violence, but also address the lasting impacts of violence on victims, such as treating their mental health, and helping them utilize social service agencies.

USU, Federal Mental Health Experts Earn Prestigious Military Family Research Institute Award

In recognition of their outstanding research that has brought visibility to issues impacting the Armed Forces and their families, several behavioral health professionals from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) were the recipients of the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI)’s 2022 Barbara Thompson Excellence in Research on Military and Veteran Families Award. The award is based on their scientific publication, “The role of posttraumatic stress symptoms and negative affect in predicting substantiated intimate partner violence incidents among military personnel,” published in the journal Military Behavioral Health in August 2021.

Spreading hope through humor — Markey Cancer patient, comedian shares her story

As a stand-up comedian, Debra Faulk is an expert at transforming the most difficult and uncomfortable moments of her life into something that lifts others. Active in the local comedy scene, the 54-year-old Lexington native uses standup as a platform to shine a light on serious health issues, with much of her routine inspired by her family’s experiences: one sister dealt with intellectual disabilities while another had breast cancer, her brother served in Desert Storm and came back with PTSD, her father had dementia, and her mother was on dialysis.

Stem Cell Study Reveals How Neurons From PTSD Patients React to Stress

Stem cell-derived neurons from combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) react differently to a stress hormone than those from veterans without PTSD, a finding that could provide insights into how genetics can make someone more susceptible to developing PTSD following trauma exposure.

Study from “Black Tuesday” bushfires finds link to PTSD

New research published in the Australian Journal of Rural Health has shown people who are forced to relocate after a bushfire are at a higher risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, otherwise known as PTSD. Led by Associate Professor Venkatesan Thiruvenkatarajan from the University of Adelaide, and Dr Richard Watts from Flinders University, the researchers spoke with people affected by the 2005 “Black Tuesday” Eyre Peninsula bushfires, which took nine lives, destroyed 93 homes and blackened 80,000 hectares of land near Port Lincoln on 11 January, 2005.

Intestinal Abnormalities in People with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Don’t Improve Even When PTSD Symptoms Abate

Article title: Abnormal intestinal milieu in post-traumatic stress disorder is not impacted by treatment that improves symptoms Authors: Robin M. Voigt, Alyson K. Zalta, Shohreh Raeisi, Lijuan Zhang, J. Mark Brown, Christopher B. Forsyth, Randy A. Boley, Philip Held, Mark…

PTSD symptoms vary over course of menstrual cycle

In women who have experienced trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms may vary over the course of the menstrual cycle, with more symptoms during the first few days of the cycle when the hormone estradiol is low, and fewer symptoms close to ovulation, when estradiol is high, finds research published by the American Psychological Association.

Mount Sinai’s Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research Receives $5 Million Grant From The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation

Funds will support cutting-edge MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD

Healing trauma: Research links PTSD, emotion regulation and quality of life

Research from Binghamton University, State University of New York provides insight into the impact PTSD has on emotional regulation and quality of life, and points to ways to improve both.

The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Grants More than $2.1 Million to Support a Psychedelics Research Study at Mount Sinai

The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research in the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai today announced a $2.1 million charitable contribution by the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

Mealer, Moss Receive AACN Award for Efforts to Reduce Burnout Among Critical Care Clinicians

Meredith Mealer, PhD, RN, and Marc Moss, MD, from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, receive the 2021 AACN Pioneering Spirit Award in recognition of their collaborative work over the past 20 years to improve the mental health of healthcare workers, especially nurses.

Childhood Car Crash Inspires UC San Diego Alumni to Donate to Pediatric Research

UC San Diego alumni make a gift of $1 million towards first-of-its-kind pediatric research. The Cathy and Richard Tryon Pediatric Facial/Psychological Trauma Research Fund will support research at UC San Diego to benefit pediatric patients who have suffered from traumatic facial deformities.

Psychedelic Science Holds Promise for Mainstream Medicine

A team of UNLV neuroscientists are uncovering how psychedelics affect brain activity. Their work, published recently in Nature: Scientific Reports, shows a strong connection in rodent models between brain activity and behaviors resulting from psychedelic treatment, a step forward in the quest to better understand their potential therapeutic effects.

UCLA seeks volunteers for study of COVID-19’s impact on health to support “longhaul” survivors

UCLA researchers are seeking participants for an innovative study examining the impact of COVID-19 on survivors who continue battling health issues long after they were infected and thought to have recovered, known informally as “long COVID” and “longhaulers.”

Mount Sinai Health System Launches Center for Psychedelic Research

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has launched a new center for psychedelics research. The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research pursues a multipronged clinical and research approach to discovering novel and more efficacious therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and other stress-related conditions in the veteran and civilian population.

Study Suggests Brain Injuries May Evolve, Not Resolve, Over Time

Service members with concussions may have symptoms that continue to evolve up to five years after the initial injury, according to a study published in the November 11, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The findings challenge the idea that these individuals with chronic brain injuries maintain a relatively stable course of recovery.

Motor Neuron Drug Shows Promise as Treatment for PTSD Symptoms Linked to Suicide Attempts

A medication used to treat motor neuron diseases, like Lou Gehrig’s disease, might also have the potential to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly the symptoms linked to suicide attempts, according to a study, “Randomized Controlled Trial of Riluzole Augmentation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Efficacy of a Glutamatergic Modulator for Antidepressant-Resistant Symptoms,” published Oct. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry by researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU).