 
Article Date: 25 May 2010 – 4:00 PDT
New data on INVEGA® SUSTENNA® (paliperidone palmitate), a long-acting injectable medicine for schizophrenia, and new data on RISPERDAL® CONSTA® (risperidone long-acting therapy), also an injectable medicine to treat schizophrenia, will be presented next week at a major psychiatry meeting in New Orleans. Posters on this data will be presented on Wednesday, May 26, from 12 noon to 2 pm at the meeting.
The posters address topics such as efficacy in different populations of patients with schizophrenia; long-term pharmacokinetics and long-term safety; and pharmacoeconomics.
…
 Important Safety Information For Risperdal® Consta®
RISPERDAL® CONSTA® (risperidone) is used for the treatment of schizophrenia and for the longer-term treatment of Bipolar I Disorder.
Elderly Patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. RISPERDAL® CONSTA® (risperidone) is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) is a rare and potentially fatal side effect reported with RISPERDAL® CONSTA® and similar medicines. Call your doctor immediately if the person being treated develops symptoms such as high fever; stiff muscles; shaking; confusion; sweating; changes in pulse, heart rate, or blood pressure; or muscle pain and weakness. Treatment should be stopped if the person being treated has NMS.
Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) is a serious, sometimes permanent side effect reported with RISPERDAL® CONSTA® and similar medications. TD includes uncontrollable movements of the face, tongue, and other parts of the body. The risk of developing TD and the chance that it will become permanent is thought to increase with the length of therapy and the overall dose taken by the patient. This condition can develop after a brief period of therapy at low doses, although this is much less common. There is no known treatment for TD, but it may go away partially or completely if therapy is stopped.
High blood sugar and diabetes have been reported with RISPERDAL® CONSTA® and similar medications. If the person being treated has diabetes or risk factors such as being overweight or a family history of diabetes, blood sugar testing should be performed at the beginning and throughout treatment with RISPERDAL® CONSTA®. Complications of diabetes can be serious and even life-threatening. If signs of high blood sugar or diabetes develop, such as being thirsty all the time, going to the bathroom a lot, or feeling weak or hungry, contact your doctor.
RISPERDAL® CONSTA® and similar medications can raise the blood levels of a hormone known as prolactin, causing a condition known as hyperprolactinemia. Blood levels of prolactin remain elevated with continued use. Some side effects seen with these medications include the absence of a menstrual period; breasts producing milk; the development of breasts by males; and the inability to achieve an erection.
Some people taking RISPERDAL® CONSTA® may feel faint or lightheaded when they stand up or sit up too quickly. By standing up or sitting up slowly and following your healthcare professional’s dosing instructions, this side effect can be reduced or it may go away over time.
Blood problems such as low numbers of white blood cells have been reported in patients taking risperidone and similar medications. In some cases it has been serious and life-threatening. Depending upon your medical condition, your doctor may choose to test your blood as you start therapy with RISPERDAL® CONSTA® .
RISPERDAL® CONSTA® may affect your alertness or driving ability; therefore, do not drive or operate machinery before talking to your healthcare professional.
RISPERDAL® CONSTA® should be used cautiously in people with a seizure disorder, who have had seizures in the past, or who have conditions that increase their risk for seizures.
Painful, long-lasting erections have been reported with the use of RISPERDAL® CONSTA® . Call your doctor immediately if you think you are having this problem.
Extrapyramidal Symptoms (EPS) are usually persistent movement disorders or muscle disturbances, such as restlessness, tremors, and muscle stiffness. If you observe any of these symptoms, talk to your healthcare professional.
Inform your healthcare professional if you become pregnant or intend to become pregnant during therapy with RISPERDAL® CONSTA® . Caution should be used when administering RISPERDAL® CONSTA® to a nursing woman.
RISPERDAL® CONSTA® may make you more sensitive to heat. You may have trouble cooling off, or be more likely to become dehydrated, so take care when exercising or when doing things that make you warm.
Some medications interact with RISPERDAL® CONSTA®. Please inform your healthcare professional of any medications or supplements that you are taking. Avoid alcohol while taking RISPERDAL® CONSTA®.
In a study of people taking RISPERDAL® CONSTA® , the most common side effects in the treatment of schizophrenia were headache, tremors, dizziness, restlessness, tiredness, constipation, indigestion, sleepiness, weight gain, pain in the limbs, and dry mouth.
In a study of people taking RISPERDAL® CONSTA® , the most common side effects in the treatment of bipolar disorder were weight gain (when used alone) and tremors (when used with lithium or valproate).
If you have any questions about RISPERDAL® CONSTA® or your therapy, talk with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/189784.php
 
People with Schizophrenia OK with Doctors
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010
A new survey suggests 80 percent of patients with schizophrenia say their psychiatrists do well or very well in treating them with courtesy and respect.
This positive relationship is particularly important in treating schizophrenia as patients and psychiatrists must work closely together to determine appropriate treatment plans that will help patients manage their symptoms and reduce their risk of relapse.
Schizophrenia affects about 1 percent of the U.S. adult population and approximately 24 million people globally. Schizophrenia can have devastating effects throughout a person’s life.
The survey revealed that 66 percent of patients with schizophrenia have extreme trust or very much trust in their psychiatrists. Additional survey findings include:
- 78 percent of patients with schizophrenia say their psychiatrists provide explanations in a way they can easily understand.
- 66 percent of patients feel their psychiatrists are concerned for their emotional needs.
- Additionally, more than half of patients and caregivers, or 54 percent, are very comfortable discussing medication options with psychiatrists.
Read in Full: http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/26/people-with-schizophrenia-ok-with-doctors/14086.html
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010
A new study by University of Montreal researchers suggests hyper-masculine men are driving risks.
Researchers gave the instruction to “Catch that car!†to 22 men sitting in a driving simulator. The more “macho†the man, the more risks he took on the road.
“Our hypothesis was that hyper-masculine drivers, often referred to as macho, were more likely to take risks in order to catch a car,†says Julie Langlois, lead researcher.
“We didn’t tell test subjects to disobey the law, yet they knew others had accomplished the same task in seven minutes.â€
So what is a macho man?
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/27/macho-personality-tied-to-driving-issues/14134.html
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Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010
A new study by University of Montreal researchers suggests hyper-masculine men are driving risks.
Researchers gave the instruction to “Catch that car!†to 22 men sitting in a driving simulator. The more “macho†the man, the more risks he took on the road.
“Our hypothesis was that hyper-masculine drivers, often referred to as macho, were more likely to take risks in order to catch a car,†says Julie Langlois, lead researcher.
“We didn’t tell test subjects to disobey the law, yet they knew others had accomplished the same task in seven minutes.â€
So what is a macho man?
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/27/macho-personality-tied-to-driving-issues/14134.html
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010
The tonic of nature for relieving stress and helping to sharpen mental skills may have a scientific basis — research on mice discovers a natural bacterium reduces anxiety and improves mental abilities.
“Mycobacterium vaccae is a natural soil bacterium which people likely ingest or breathe in when they spend time in nature,†says Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges in Troy, N.Y.
Previous research studies on M. vaccae showed that heat-killed bacteria injected into mice stimulated growth of some neurons in the brain that resulted in increased levels of serotonin and decreased anxiety.
“Since serotonin plays a role in learning we wondered if live M. vaccae could improve learning in mice,†says Matthews.
Matthews and Jenks fed live bacteria to mice and assessed their ability to navigate a maze compared to control mice that were not fed the bacteria.
“We found that mice that were fed live M. vaccae navigated the maze twice as fast and with less demonstrated anxiety behaviors as control mice,†says Matthews.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/26/nature-reduces-anxiety-and-sharpens-mental-skills/14088.html
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Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010
The tonic of nature for relieving stress and helping to sharpen mental skills may have a scientific basis — research on mice discovers a natural bacterium reduces anxiety and improves mental abilities.
“Mycobacterium vaccae is a natural soil bacterium which people likely ingest or breathe in when they spend time in nature,†says Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges in Troy, N.Y.
Previous research studies on M. vaccae showed that heat-killed bacteria injected into mice stimulated growth of some neurons in the brain that resulted in increased levels of serotonin and decreased anxiety.
“Since serotonin plays a role in learning we wondered if live M. vaccae could improve learning in mice,†says Matthews.
Matthews and Jenks fed live bacteria to mice and assessed their ability to navigate a maze compared to control mice that were not fed the bacteria.
“We found that mice that were fed live M. vaccae navigated the maze twice as fast and with less demonstrated anxiety behaviors as control mice,†says Matthews.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/26/nature-reduces-anxiety-and-sharpens-mental-skills/14088.html
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010Â
Developmental psychologists have always known children learn by imitating adults.
Now, a new study of Australian preschoolers and Kalahari Bushman children finds that a particular kind of imitation — over-imitation, in which a child copies everything an adult shows them, not just the steps that lead to some outcome — appears to be a universal human activity.
Researchers believe the work sheds light on how humans develop and transmit culture.
Scientists “have been finding this odd effect where children will copy everything that they see an adult demonstrate to them, even if there are clear or obvious reasons why those actions would be irrelevant,†says psychologist Mark Nielsen, of the University of Queensland in Australia. “It’s something that we know that other primates don’t do.†If a chimpanzee is shown an irrelevant action, they won’t copy it — they’ll skip right to the action that makes something happen.
But it’s not clear that the results found in child psychology research apply to all people, Nielsen says. This research is usually done with children who live in Western cultures, whose parents are well-educated and middle- to upper class. And these parents are constantly teaching their children. But parents in indigenous cultures generally don’t spend a lot of time teaching.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/27/modeling-behavior-for-children-has-long-lasting-effects/14139.html
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Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010Â
Developmental psychologists have always known children learn by imitating adults.
Now, a new study of Australian preschoolers and Kalahari Bushman children finds that a particular kind of imitation — over-imitation, in which a child copies everything an adult shows them, not just the steps that lead to some outcome — appears to be a universal human activity.
Researchers believe the work sheds light on how humans develop and transmit culture.
Scientists “have been finding this odd effect where children will copy everything that they see an adult demonstrate to them, even if there are clear or obvious reasons why those actions would be irrelevant,†says psychologist Mark Nielsen, of the University of Queensland in Australia. “It’s something that we know that other primates don’t do.†If a chimpanzee is shown an irrelevant action, they won’t copy it — they’ll skip right to the action that makes something happen.
But it’s not clear that the results found in child psychology research apply to all people, Nielsen says. This research is usually done with children who live in Western cultures, whose parents are well-educated and middle- to upper class. And these parents are constantly teaching their children. But parents in indigenous cultures generally don’t spend a lot of time teaching.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/27/modeling-behavior-for-children-has-long-lasting-effects/14139.html
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010Â
As many realize, anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder of excessive weight loss caused by relentless dieting. Unknown to many is that the starvation that results from this illness affects physiological systems throughout the body, including the brain.
Incredibly, the excessive weight loss occurs from all human tissues, including the brain. A new study discovers that with appropriate treatment, adult brain volume can be regained.
“Anorexia nervosa wreaks havoc on many different parts of the body, including the brain,†said team leader Christina Roberto, MS, MPhil from Yale University.
“In our study we measured brain volume deficits among underweight patients with the illness to evaluate if the decline is reversible thought short-term weight restoration.â€
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/27/brain-changes-with-anorexia-can-be-reversed/14141.html
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Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 27, 2010Â
As many realize, anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder of excessive weight loss caused by relentless dieting. Unknown to many is that the starvation that results from this illness affects physiological systems throughout the body, including the brain.
Incredibly, the excessive weight loss occurs from all human tissues, including the brain. A new study discovers that with appropriate treatment, adult brain volume can be regained.
“Anorexia nervosa wreaks havoc on many different parts of the body, including the brain,†said team leader Christina Roberto, MS, MPhil from Yale University.
“In our study we measured brain volume deficits among underweight patients with the illness to evaluate if the decline is reversible thought short-term weight restoration.â€
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/27/brain-changes-with-anorexia-can-be-reversed/14141.html
 
Article Date: 27 May 2010 – 2:00 PDT
Researchers in the US found that brief vigorous exercise can reduce cellular aging by preventing the shortening of telomeres due to stress.
You can read about the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) study in a paper published online in the open access journal PLoS ONE on 26 May.
Co-lead investigator, Dr Elissa Epel, an associate professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry, said in a statement that:
“Telomere length is increasingly considered a biological marker of the accumulated wear and tear of living, integrating genetic influences, lifestyle behaviors, and stress.”
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190053.php