Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Archive — Page 9 of 12

Close-up of an older adult resting their forehead on one hand and looking downward with a pensive expression.
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.

Stylized pink and purple brain with a white cannabis leaf overlaid at the center.
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.

Stylized side-profile illustration of a human head showing a glowing, interconnected brain and nervous system in blue, purple, and pink.
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.

Curly-haired woman in a plaid shirt sits on the edge of a green sofa, resting her head on one hand and looking off to the side thoughtfully.
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.

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.

child hiding behind a corner
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.