Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)’s Post

"A recent study shows that the use of psilocybin, a compound found in the widely known "magic mushrooms," initiates a pattern of hyperconnectivity in the brain linked to the ego-modifying effects and feelings of oceanic boundlessness. The findings, appearing in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, help explain the so-called mystical experiences people report during the use of psychedelics and are pertinent to the psychotherapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs to treat psychiatric disorders such as depression. The concept of oceanic boundlessness refers to a sense of unity, blissfulness, insightfulness, and spiritual experience often associated with psychedelic sessions." #psychology #psychiatry #brain #cognitive

Has psychiatry lost touch with individuals? https://ift.tt/dBoHins People who suffer from mania are often characterized as inhabiting a world in which time seems to have sprinted ahead. They are said to have a flight of ideas, racing thoughts, rapid speech. In contrast, those with depression seem to suffer from the opposite: They languish in bed, unable to get up, seem to stumble over words, their thoughts and movements materializing only slowly, like wafts of smoke. But these kinds of subjective experiences receive little attention from clinicians or neuroscientists outside of the niche field of phenomenological psychiatry. Psychiatrists Evan Kyzar and George Denfield, who conduct neuroscience research at Columbia University, published a paper not long ago in Nature advocating for a greater emphasis in psychiatric practice and research on these elements of lived experience: not just the experience of time, but the feeling of an emotion, how one’s perception of their own body structures how they relate to the world, or the salience of stimuli—which features of experience attract attention, such as bright colors, fast movement, personal relevance, loud sounds, or distinctive smells. They say this might help us identify successful new psychiatric treatments, something the field has struggled with over the last couple of decades. Most of today’s treatments have been around for a long time. “We’ve had a lot of trouble translating success in basic neuroscience to things that could actually help our patients get better in the clinic,” says Kyzar. The phenomena of most interest to the field of psychiatry is what people experience. Subjective elements of lived experience have been out of style in psychiatry in the United States at least since the publication of the third Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) in the 1980s. The DSM-III was the first to really create checklist-type diagnostic descriptions for things like major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. “It was a move by the psychiatric establishment to try and operationalize psychiatry, make it more like the other medical specialties,” says Kyzar. These new diagnostic categories then became the foundation for large scale studies that attempted to look for the biological bases for mental disorders. “But the resulting explosion in neuroscience studies hasn’t gotten us any closer to that stated goal,” says Kyzar. The field of phenomenological psychiatry is relatively small in the U.S. It is more common in Europe, where it originated, but even there, the findings of the field are not often used to help pursue a deeper biological understanding of mental health conditions, say Kyzar and Denfield. “If we take very seriously these phenomenological explorations in, for example, people who have psychosis, and we identify alterations in the way that they experience the salience of stimuli, we could investigate that in animal models or in human neuroimaging stud...

Interesting article. Holds promising treatment implications. Passing along for the article’s inherent merrit as well… I am always curious to see if and how new research makes it into practice. How does widespread change happen in professions, fields, and organizations that are based on established ways of seeing and doing? As healthcare professionals we make an individual commitment to stay informed of new research and practices, but how do we influence change with colleagues and leadership when we come across a new idea and new evidence that can benefit our patients/clients? Pervasive leadership invites us all to be agents of change…to heed the call to contribute, to bring forward, to ask questions, to challenge. What are some ways you have influenced change? What have you needed as a change agent to sustain your energy and focus when obstacles have presented? What have your learned that you’d like to pass on to others?

The French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) argued that the natures of mind and body are completely different from one another and each could exist by itself. A major question arises from this mind-body dualism theory: how can these two structures with different natures causally interact in order to give rise to a human being with voluntary bodily motions and sensations? This Cartesian view introduced a problem of incommunicability, especially difficult to solve for psychiatry and psychology. In fact, mental disorders should have either physical or psychic roots. Psychosomatics, as well as a bio-psycho-social model in psychiatry, have tried to reconcile this dual approach (see Henningsen in this issue, p 23). The close relationships between body and mind can be reviewed in this issue with the examples of coronary heart disease, diabetes, oncology, infertility, and psychosomatic diseases (De Hert et al, p 31; Sartorius, p 47; Penninx and Lange, p 63; Lang-Rollin and Berberich, p 13; Rooney and Domar, p 41). Rene Descartes raised the question of consciousness (“I think, therefore I am”) and argued that you cannot deny the existence of your mind while using your mind to deny it. Notwithstanding, consciousness in near-death experiences or out-of-body experiences seems to occur when the brain cannot function properly. These experiences challenge the current model of mind-body interactions and may improve our knowledge of consciousness and its relationships with brain functioning. Near-death or out-of-body experiences, associated with respectively 9% and 2% of cardiac arrests with successful resuscitation, and their potential long-term adverse psychological outcomes will be discussed in this issue (Naber and Bollinger, p 73). For many years, the brain basis of many psychiatric disorders has been poorly understood and difficult to treat, and thus these disorders have been called “functional”' as if they had no organic roots because they defied neurological interpretation. This perpetuated the Cartesian dualism. Moreover, a split between neurology and psychiatry occurred when psychoanalysis took over psychiatry in Europe and in the USA during the early 20th century. Gradually, psychiatry has become separated from the rest of the medical specialties. This isolation has seriously damaged psychiatry and caused important recruitment and funding problems, as well as diminished value of careful diagnosis, therefore reducing psychiatry to a nonspecific psychological support, which contributes to increasing the stigma. Yet, recent advances in neuroscience make it more and more difficult to draw a precise line between neurological disorders (considered to be “structural brain disorders”) and psychiatric disorders (considered to be “functional brain disorders”). Fibromyalgia, as did neurosis in the past, filled a gap left between neurology and psychiatry. Ref https://lnkd.in/eBgikPV3

Precision Psychiatry Becomes a Reality with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation John Candela, a neurological systems consultant at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, discusses the intricate neural networks within the brain, emphasizing their interconnected nature. These networks play a pivotal role in conditions like depression, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. Candela highlights their innovative approach, utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in conjunction with MRI, diffuse tensor imaging, and resting-state functional MRI. This combination creates detailed brain atlases, guiding TMS therapy with unprecedented precision. Their goal is to address individual symptoms and potentially target multiple mental health issues simultaneously. Dr. Rachel Rohaidy M.D., a neuropsychiatrist at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, underscores the promise of TMS for patients who have found no relief with traditional treatments. TMS offers a non-invasive, sedation-free, and minimally side-effect approach. It allows for personalized therapy, with adjustable stimulation levels, offering renewed hope to those who have struggled with depression. Dr. Rohaidy further notes that TMS, while not a cure-all, has delivered impressive results, with many patients reporting a 50 percent reduction in symptoms after just three sessions. This innovative approach represents a significant stride towards precision psychiatry, tailoring treatments to individual needs. https://lnkd.in/eQQSaAV6 #tms #tmstherapy #psychiatry #psychiatrist #neuropsychiatry #neuropsychiatrist #anxiety #ptsd #neuralnetworks #brainhealth

The Cognitive Puzzle of OCD: Neural Correlates and Uncertainty Accumulation In a recent study on OCD decision-making, researchers found that individuals with OCD made slower, more cautious choices but had less successful outcomes compared to healthy participants. Brain imaging revealed that healthy individuals showed increased activity in uncertainty processing regions, while those with OCD lacked this activity, suggesting difficulty distinguishing high and low uncertainty. “I study impulsivity and compulsivity or why we make rash poorly considered disinhibited decisions or on the other hand, repeat the same mistakes,” said study author Valerie Voon a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and distinguished professor at the Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence at Fudan University University. Cameron Carter , the editor of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, said of the research: “This very interesting study provides an important new perspective on the mechanism underlying the disabling symptoms of OCD and suggests that developing new therapies targeting uncertainty processing in the disorder, as well as the neural systems underlying these processes, such as the dACC and AI, may offer new hope to those suffering from this difficult to treat and disabling disorder.” https://lnkd.in/emd89G5x Original publication: https://lnkd.in/eabGngn6 #neuralnetwork #brainscience #psychiatry #psychiatrist #ocd #mentalhealth #brainhealth #brainimaging

Non-invasive stimulation that targets dysfunctional region (in red color) works. Fast, reliable solution should include brain scans and precise therapy. EEG scans at a fraction of SPECT or MRI cost are extremely reliable . These brain maps can be used to provide precise therapy to target the brain region that is dysfunctional . See an example, brain dysfunction in red colour before therapy. After precise therapy (TMS, TPS) that targets the location of brain dysfunction likely less or no brain dysfunction (no "holes" in SPECT scans) and less symptoms! https://lnkd.in/gTrQNRJ  #OCD   #mentalhealth #anxiety #suicide #traumaticbraininjury #mtbi #addiction #psychiatry #ptsd #tmstherapy #TMS #health #tmstherapy #brainhealth #suicideprevention #addiction #addictionrecovery #AddBrain_Inc #addiction #sleep #insomnia #insomniaproblems #insomnie #insomnio #recoveroutloud #overdoseawareness #hope #substanceusedisorder #recovery #treatment #trauma #alzheimers #alzheimersawareness #community #support #cognition #technology #mentalillness #suicideawareness #suicidio #depression #anxiety #ADHD #addiction #suicideprevention #psychiatry #tmstherapy #TMS #health #tmstherapy #military #brainhealth #AddBrain_Inc #addiction #recoveroutloud #overdoseawareness #hope #substanceusedisorder #recovery #narcansaveslives #youareworthit #youarenotalone #youcandoit #youareloved #youmatter #treatment #trauma #anxiety #community #support #love #motivation #events #technology #money #mentalhealthawareness #politics #political #therapy #psychiatrists #suffering #highrisk #provide #wecan #pharma #novonordisk #Celexa #allergan #AstraZeneca, #elililly #GlaxoSmithKline #Lundbeck #johnsonandjohnson #Pfizer #merck #strategicpartnerships #iplicensing

The first paper of my PhD is out now in Translational Psychiatry! https://lnkd.in/efAHAb_w In clinical psychology, theoretical models suggest that following a traumatic event, maladaptive metacognitive evaluations and appraisals drive post-traumatic stress symptoms. The emotional arousal elicited by the trauma might be one pathway through which this occurs. Despite conceptual agreements and corroborating evidence between the cognitive and clinical sub-domains of psychology, differences in the operationalisation of metacognition has meant that research from these fields does not typically converge. Here we test the clinical model using an “online” laboratory-based measure of metacognition. Employing hierarchical Bayesian modelling of data collected on a metamemory task, we calculate metacognitive efficiency, a marker of confidence in one’s memory performance. We use this task in two studies: 1⃣ measuring the effect of an acute stress manipulation on memory metacognition (n=27) and, 2⃣ measuring metacognition in a sample of patients experiencing intrusions following a stressful or traumatic event (n=80). We find that participants that reported higher subjective stress were worse at reflecting on their task performance-- they exhibited poorer metacognition📉 In contrast, no metacognitive impairments were apparent in the clinical intrusions sample. Our results could suggest that alterations to metacognition occur at a state-level in the immediate aftermath of a stressful event, but are less relevant to ongoing trauma-related psychopathology. Stressful or traumatic events often precede mental health problems. Understanding the effects of stress on cognition could be important for enhancing prevention and treatment of mental health problems.

We are delighted to share that Benzinga reporter Lara Goldstein has just published an article featuring HMNC Brain Health and our groundbreaking work in precision psychiatry   Titled "A European Project For Precision Psychiatry: This Company Is Using AI To Predict Mental Health Disorders" https://lnkd.in/dmeYBjW9 The article highlights Dr. Daniel Gehrlach's panel discussion at PS2023 and sheds light on our innovative approach to mental health treatment using AI. Also dives into our focus on identifying genetic predispositions for stress, allowing us to create personalized treatment strategies that make a real difference in people's lives. #HMNCBrainHealth #personalizedmedicine #mentalhealthmatters  #depression #mentalhealthawareness #depressiontreatment

Mapping brain-behaviour associations is paramount to understand and treat psychiatric disorders. Standard approaches involve investigating the association between one brain and one behavioural variable (univariate) or multiple variables against one brain/behaviour feature (‘single’ multivariate). Recently, large multimodal datasets have propelled a new wave of studies that leverage on ‘doubly’ multivariate approaches capable of parsing the multifaceted nature of both brain and behaviour simultaneously. Within this movement, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and partial least squares (PLS) emerge as the most popular techniques. Both seek to capture shared information between brain and behaviour in the form of latent variables. #BrainResearch #PsychiatricDisorders #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #PredictiveModeling #BigData #Neuroimaging #ADHD #ASD #MDD #Psychosis #Research #Brain #BehavioralScience https://lnkd.in/gikep4Ze