Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

arm with IV line
December 7, 2017

Study seeks to aid diagnosis, management of catatonia

Catatonia, a syndrome of motor, emotional and behavioral abnormalities frequently characterized by muscular rigidity and a trance-like mental stupor and at times manifesting with great excitement or agitation, can occur during a critical illness and appear similar to delirium. But the management strategies are vastly different.

By Nancy Humphrey
October 16, 2017

Gender, pain and dementia

Understanding sex differences in pain perception could lead to more targeted and effective pain assessment and management strategies in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease.

By Bill Snyder
September 5, 2017

Pain and Alzheimer’s disease

Clinicians should use a structured interview in people with Alzheimer’s disease to identify pain that might be otherwise overlooked.

By VUMC News and Communications
April 28, 2017

Regulating anxiety in the brain

Two brain signaling pathways have overlapping functions in regulating anxiety, suggesting that therapeutics aimed at one or the other will impact both.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 28, 2017

Vanderbilt study finds natural chemical helps brain adapt to stress

A natural signaling molecule that activates cannabinoid receptors in the brain plays a critical role in stress-resilience — the ability to adapt to repeated and acute exposures to traumatic stress, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Bill Snyder
March 2, 2017

Clues found to recurrent depression

Women who have had repeated depressive episodes tend to pay more attention to negative emotional information, suggesting that they may benefit from cognitive therapy to build new, more positive pathways in their brains.

By Bill Snyder
November 4, 2016

Probing drug abuse circuitry

Vanderbilt researchers have identified cocaine-induced modifications at specific neuronal connections, which could aid the development of new therapies for substance abuse disorders.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 13, 2016

Study may help predict anxiety risk in children

In what could be a way to predict which children might be vulnerable to anxiety disorders, a Vanderbilt study has shown that an altered prefrontal cortex function in the brain marks a heightened anxiety risk in children.
By Nancy Humphrey
August 17, 2016

New center will examine addiction at molecular level, develop treatments

Vanderbilt University researchers from diverse scientific disciplines are joining forces to help crack the stubborn mysteries of addiction through the new Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research.
By Bill Snyder
July 28, 2016

Opioids’ impact on women’s health explored at research symposium

Women may be at higher risk than men when it comes to overuse of opioid-containing painkillers, speakers warned at a research symposium at Vanderbilt University Medical Center earlier this month.
By Bill Snyder
July 18, 2016

Diabetes drugs may ease addiction

Drugs that are being used clinically to treat obesity and diabetes may also have a role in treating drug abuse.
By Bill Snyder
June 2, 2016

Alzheimer’s risk gene in younger adults

A genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in later life appears to benefit younger adults as they age.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 12, 2016

COX-2 blocker could help PTSD

COX-2 inhibitors – used clinically to reduce inflammation and pain – may find new applications for treating PTSD and other stress-related psychiatric disorders like major depression.
By Bill Snyder
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