4 Troubled Teens Blog

A study of laboratory animals found that a gene mutation associated with schizophrenia breaks down communication between two areas of the brain responsible for memory.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York found that mice with the gene mutation were unable to synchronize their activity in order to negotiate a maze.

"This gene mutation hinders communication between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus," said author Dr. Joshua Gordon writing in a report published in the journal Nature.

Labels: genetics, brain_function, schizophrenia

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An influential 26-year study of 847 individuals that ended in 2003 found that if people had a certain gene, they were more likely to become depressed after a traumatic life event such as bankruptcy or death of a loved one.

The same study found that if people had a different gene variant, they were more likely to go through such events without experiencing major depression. This study was widely accepted and became the basis of a belief that depression is an organic disorder that can be treated through medication.

Now a new study reports having found "no evidence of an association between the serotonin gene and depression," even if a person experiences a traumatic event. The new study, led by Dr. Neil Risch and Dr. Kathleen Merikangas, is an analysis of 14 previous studies.

In their report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Drs. Risch and Merikangas indicated that they believe that the old study had flaws. They also wrote that the old study was widely accepted before it was widely duplicated.

Labels: depression, research, genetics

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A program that teaches impulse control can help teens who have a gene linked to risky behaviors, according to a study that was published in the journal Child Development. People who have the 5-HTTLPR gene are twice as likely to have poor self-control, and engage in risky behaviors such as drug abuse and binge drinking, the study reported.

"The findings underscore that 'nurture' can influence 'nature' during adolescence," said Dr. Kenneth Warren of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The study was performed in conjunction with the University of Iowa and Vanderbilt University.

Researchers evaluated 641 families in rural Georgia, concentrating on 11-year-olds:

• Some study subjects had the 5-HTTLPR gene.
• A control group without the gene had no intervention.
• After two and a half years, children with the gene who participated in the program were no more likely to engage in risky behaviors than were those in the control group.

As summer vacation approaches, many parents worry about the effect that excess free time and a lack of structured activities will have on their children. One option for potentially delinquent teens during the summer -- an option that can help improve their behavior year-round -- is to enroll the child in a reputable and effective therapeutic summer camp for trouble teens.

Labels: research, genetics, troubled_teenagers

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Whether or not you experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a catastrophic event may depend on your genetics.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 200 people from 12 multi-generational families who experienced a terrible earthquake in Armenia in 1988. Everyone in the study saw buildings destroyed, and over 90% saw dead bodies and severely injured people left lying in the streets.

According to the report published in Psychiatric Genetics, about 40% of post-traumatic stress syndromes developed by people in the study was due to genetic factors. Genetic factors accounted for 61% of depression and 66% of anxiety. Dr. Armen Goenjian of the UCLA Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and lead author said that other studies have shown that depression tends to coexist with anxiety.

"Our findings show that a substantial portion of the coexistence can be explained on the basis of shared genes and not just environmental factors such as upbringing," he said. "This was a study of multigenerational family members - parents and offspring, grandparents and grandchildren, siblings and so on, and we found that the genetic makeup of some of these individuals renders them more vulnerable to develop PTSD, anxiety and depression."

Dr. Goenjian also pointed out that it is hard to do family studies on PTSD because typically whole families do not experience a single stressful event together.

Labels: stress, genetics, trauma

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A University of Michigan study found that males who are rule-breakers tend to be popular, and that their behavior has a genetic basis.

Professor Alexandra Burt collected DNA samples from over 200 male college students, and then had them interact for an hour. Afterward, participants filled out questionnaires about which participants they liked best.

The most popular in the study had a certain gene associated with rule-breaking behaviors.

"The gene predisposed them to rule breaking behaviors and that rule breaking behavior made them more popular," Dr. Burt said in her report published in the Journal of Personality and Social Development.

Labels: genetics, risky_behaviors, popular

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If parents suffer from depression, anxiety, or panic disorders, their children are at risk for multiple anxiety disorders, according to a new study from Harvard University.

Dr. Joseph Biederman, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, compared four groups: children of parents with panic disorder but not depression, children of parents with major depression without panic disorder, children of parents with both maladies, and children of parents with neither one. Parental panic disorder was linked to increased risk for panic disorder and agoraphobia in children, and parental depression was linked to social phobia, depression, disruptive behavior disorders, and poor social functioning in children.

"Recognizing that children at a very young age can be at high- risk for emotional distress can go a long way toward doing something for them in early life," Dr. Biederman said.

This study appears in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Labels: depression, genetics, mental_health

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Gene tests may determine which patients develop suicidal thoughts after taking anti-depressant medicines, according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health found that two genetic markers increased a person's chance of developing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the first weeks of taking anti-depressant medications.

"In the future we may have the opportunity to use genomic tests to guide personalized care for depression," said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Teen suicide is a real and scary issue. Learn more from this article at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: antidepressants, genetics, medictions

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Gambling addictions run in families, perhaps for genetic reasons, according to a new study from the University of Missouri.

• Dr. Wendy Slutske and her colleagues studied 4700 twins from the Australian Twin Registry . In terms of gambling addictions. Men were almost three times more likely to be addicted to gambling
• One percent of women and 3 percent of men had the problem.
• Dr. Slutske found that if one identical twin had a gambling addiction, the other twin was more likely to have one too. This was not as true for fraternal twins, and implies a genetic component to gambling addictions.

"Like alcoholism, problem gambling is a complex disorder," Dr. Slutske said. "The answer will be in a collection of genes, maybe 10 or 100, we don't know how many, but each gene will increase the risk slightly for developing those problems."

The study appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
 

Labels: genetics, gambling

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