Many Mental Disorders Affect Similar Brain Regions

By Tanya Lewis

Many Mental Disorders Affect Similar Regions of the BrainMany vastly different mental-health disorders, ranging from schizophrenia to depression, stem from the same brain regions, according to a new study.

In the study, researchers compared the results of hundreds of brain imaging studies covering six major psychiatric disorders. They found that most of the disorders were linked to gray matter loss in a network of three brain regions involved in higher cognitive functions, such as self-control and certain types of memory.

Given these similarities in brain structure, treatments for one mental-health condition may be effective in others, the researchers said.

For the past four decades, psychiatrists have diagnosed mental disorders according to a checklist of symptoms specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), said Dr. Amit Etkin, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Stanford University and senior author of the study, published today (Feb. 4) in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry.

“We wanted to test a very simple question that simply hadn’t been asked” — whether common psychiatric disorders have a common structure in the brain, Etkin told Live Science.

To find out, Etkin and his colleagues turned to the medical literature. They sifted through nearly 200 structural brain imaging studies that involved more than 7,000 people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder or anxiety, as well as some 8,500 healthy individuals.

When the researchers compared the findings from different psychiatric disorders, they found that all of them showed loss of gray matter­— tissue that contains the bodies of nerve cells ­— in three regions deep in the brain: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), the right insula and the left insula. This network of areas is linked to executive functioning, which Etkin defined as the things that allow a person to function in life — for instance, hold down a job, maintain a relationship, not act on impulses, resist distractions and so on.

The fact that many psychiatric disorders share a common structural root will make it easier to apply therapies for one disorder to another, Etkin said. For example, computer cognitive training has shown some promise in treating schizophrenia, and may also be useful in treating other disorders, he said.

“I think clinicians tend to think this way already, but we had not had the connection to the science,” Etkin said. “As a clinician, I see commonalities between patients [with different diagnoses], but until I did this study, I was unable to understand what they were and how they operate.”

For the most part, the researchers found brain similarities among the different disorders. However, they did find some differences. For example, schizophrenia differed from other mental-health disorders in the amount of gray-matter loss, and depression also involved shrinkage of the amygdala and hippocampus, brain regions involved in emotion and memory, respectively, the researchers found. Read More

 

Online Continuing Education Courses of Interest

 

Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad. But these feelings are usually short-lived and pass within a couple of days. When you have depression, it interferes with daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you. Depression is a common but serious illness. Many people with a depressive illness never seek treatment. But the majority, even those with the most severe depression, can get better with treatment. Medications, psychotherapies, and other methods can effectively treat people with depression.Some types of depression tend to run in families. However, depression can occur in people without family histories of depression too. Scientists are studying certain genes that may make some people more prone to depression. Some genetics research indicates that risk for depression results from the influence of several genes acting together with environmental or other factors. In addition, trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or any stressful situation may trigger a depressive episode. Other depressive episodes may occur with or without an obvious trigger.This introductory course provides an overview to the various forms of depression, including signs and symptoms, co-existing conditions, causes, gender and age differences, and diagnosis and treatment options.

 

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder can be severe. They are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives. This introductory course, from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), provides a brief overview of bipolar disorder in adults, including: signs and symptoms; diagnosis; risk factors; and treatment options.

 

This is a test only course (book not included). The book (or e-book) can be purchased from Amazon or some other source. This CE test is based on Rethinking Narcissism (HarperCollins 2015, 256 pp.), which has enjoyed international expert and critical acclaim for its exciting blend of empirical rigor, practical strategies, and compelling narrative style. In it you’ll discover: Throughout, you’ll find easy-to-follow templates and concrete examples for helping people who suffer from either too much—or too little—narcissism.

 

In the Zone: Finding Flow Through Positive Psychology is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that offers a how-to guide on incorporating flow into everyday life. According to the CDC, four out of ten people have not discovered a satisfying life purpose. Further, the APA reports that most people suffer from moderate to high levels of stress, and according to SAMSHA, adult prescription medication abuse (primarily to counteract attention deficit disorders) is one of the most concerning health problems today. And while clinicians now have a host of resources to mitigate distress and reduce symptomatology, the question remains: how do clinicians move clients beyond baseline levels of functioning to a state of fulfillment imbued with a satisfying life purpose? The answer may lie in a universal condition with unexpected benefits…This course will explore the concept of flow, also known as optimal performance, which is a condition we are all capable of, yet seldom cultivate.

 

Professional Development Resources, Inc. is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) organized in 1992. We are located in Jacksonville, Florida. Federal Tax ID 59-3138625. We are approved to offer online continuing education (CE) by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board and Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

 

New Insight Into How the Mind Affects the Body

From the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences

New Insight Into How the Mind Affects the BodyNeuroscientists have identified the neural networks that connect the cerebral cortex to the adrenal medulla, which is responsible for the body’s rapid response in stressful situations. These findings provide evidence for the neural basis of a mind-body connection.

Specifically, the findings shed new light on how stress, depression and other mental states can alter organ function, and show that there is a real anatomical basis for psychosomatic illness.

Specifically, the findings shed new light on how stress, depression and other mental states can alter organ function, and show that there is a real anatomical basis for psychosomatic illness. The research also provides a concrete neural substrate that may help explain why meditation and certain exercises such as yoga and Pilates can be so helpful in modulating the body’s responses to physical, mental and emotional stress.

“Our results turned out to be much more complex and interesting than we imagined before we began this study,” said senior author Peter L. Strick, Ph.D., Thomas Detre Chair of the Department of Neurobiology and scientific director of the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute.

In their experiments, the scientists traced the neural circuitry that links areas of the cerebral cortex to the adrenal medulla (the inner part of the adrenal gland, which is located above each kidney). The scientific team included lead author Richard P. Dum, Ph.D., research associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology; David J. Levinthal, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Medicine; and Dr. Strick.

The scientists were surprised by the sheer number of neural networks they uncovered. Other investigators had suspected that one or, perhaps, two cortical areas might be responsible for the control of the adrenal medulla. The actual number and location of the cortical areas were uncertain. In the PNAS study, the Strick laboratory used a unique tracing method that involves rabies virus. This approach is capable of revealing long chains of interconnected neurons. Using this approach, Dr. Strick and his colleagues demonstrated that the control of the adrenal medulla originates from multiple cortical areas. According to the new findings, the biggest influences arise from motor areas of the cerebral cortex and from other cortical areas involved in cognition and affect.

Why does it matter which cortical areas influence the adrenal medulla? Acute responses to stress include a wide variety of changes such as a pounding heart, sweating and dilated pupils. These responses help prepare the body for action and often are characterized as “fight or flight responses.” Many situations in modern life call for a more thought-out reaction than simple “fight or flight,” and it is clear that we have some cognitive control (or what neuroscientists call “top-down” control) over our responses to stress.

“Because we have a cortex, we have options,” said Dr. Strick. “If someone insults you, you don’t have to punch them or flee. You might have a more nuanced response and ignore the insult or make a witty comeback. These options are part of what the cerebral cortex provides.”

Another surprising result was that motor areas in the cerebral cortex, involved in the planning and performance of movement, provide a substantial input to the adrenal medulla. One of these areas is a portion of the primary motor cortex that is concerned with the control of axial body movement and posture. This input to the adrenal medulla may explain why core body exercises are so helpful in modulating responses to stress. Calming practices such as Pilates, yoga, tai chi and even dancing in a small space all require proper skeletal alignment, coordination and flexibility.

The PNAS study also revealed that the areas of the cortex that are active when we sense conflict, or are aware that we have made an error, are a source of influence over the adrenal medulla. “This observation,” said Dr. Strick, “raises the possibility that activity in these cortical areas when you re-imagine an error, or beat yourself up over a mistake, or think about a traumatic event, results in descending signals that influence the adrenal medulla in just the same way as the actual event.” These anatomical findings have relevance for therapies that deal with post-traumatic stress.

Additional links with the adrenal medulla were discovered in cortical areas that are active during mindful mediation and areas that show changes in bipolar familial depression. “One way of summarizing our results is that we may have uncovered the stress and depression connectome,” says Dr. Strick.

Overall, these results indicate that circuits exist to link movement, cognition and affect to the function of the adrenal medulla and the control of stress. This circuitry may mediate the effects of internal states like chronic stress and depression on organ function and, thus, provide a concrete neural substrate for some psychosomatic illness.

Original Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160815185555.htm

Related Online Continuing Education Courses

 

In the Zone: Finding Flow Through Positive Psychology is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that offers a how-to guide on incorporating flow into everyday life. According to the CDC, four out of ten people have not discovered a satisfying life purpose. Further, the APA reports that most people suffer from moderate to high levels of stress, and according to SAMSHA, adult prescription medication abuse (primarily to counteract attention deficit disorders) is one of the most concerning health problems today. And while clinicians now have a host of resources to mitigate distress and reduce symptomatology, the question remains: how do clinicians move clients beyond baseline levels of functioning to a state of fulfillment imbued with a satisfying life purpose? The answer may lie in a universal condition with unexpected benefits…This course will explore the concept of flow, also known as optimal performance, which is a condition we are all capable of, yet seldom cultivate.

 

Behavioral Strategies for Weight Loss is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that exposes the many thought errors that confound the problem of weight loss and demonstrates how when we use behavioral strategies – known as commitment devices – we change the game of weight loss.

While obesity is arguable the largest health problem our nation faces today, it is not a problem that is exclusive to those who suffer weight gain. For therapists and counselors who work with those who wish to lose weight, there is ample information about diet and exercise; however, one very large problem remains. How do therapists get their clients to use this information? Packed with exercises therapists can use with their clients to increase self-control, resist impulses, improve decision making and harness accountability, this course will not just provide therapists with the tools they need to help their clients change the way they think about weight loss, but ultimately, the outcome they arrive at.

 

Animal-Assisted Therapy and the Healing Power of Pets is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE) course that includes the story of Dr. Deirdre Rand’s journey with her animal companions and the lessons learned from the challenges and rewards of those relationships. Also discussed are temperament, socialization and training; the role of the neurohormone oxytocin in strengthening the human-companion animal bond; the founding of the three major organizations which register volunteer handler/therapy teams, along with the contributions of key historic figures in developing animal-assisted therapy as we know it today; examples of animal-assisted interventions with dogs, cats and other animals; and attributes of a great therapy animal and a great handler.”Animal-Assisted Therapy and the Healing Power of Pets provides an essential foundation to anyone interested in animal assisted intervention work, whether as a healthcare professional or as a volunteer therapy animal team with their dog or cat. Dr. Rand uses a narrative writing style, supplemented with photographs, to give the reader a deeper, more experiential understanding of the material and makes for a good read. The course includes numerous clinical examples, evoking an awareness of the unique bond between people and their companion animals.”- Endorsement by Aubrey H. Fine, EdD, author of Our Faithful Companions: Exploring the Essence of our Kinship with Animals.

 

Professional Development Resources is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) approved to offer continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA): the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board and Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners. We are CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within one week of completion.

 

The Neuroscience of Making More Intelligent Choices

By Ben Thomas

The Neuroscience of Making Better ChoicesThere is an actual science to making better choices in your life, and this article talks about how neuroscience has studied and devised three simple questions to help you catch yourself from being caught up in a state of self-deception.

Have you ever walked out of a store with a shiny new gadget and wondered, “Why did I buy this? I can’t afford it. I don’t need it. What made me buy it?” Maybe you’ve asked yourself similar questions after you broke your diet with a tempting dessert, or fell back into the arms of someone who broke your heart: “I knew I shouldn’t have done this. Why can’t I make smarter decisions?”

Neuroscientists have studied questions like these for decades, and they’ve produced a wealth of answers, as well as some tips to catch yourself in the midst of self-deception. Here are three simple ways to avoid deceiving yourself, and turn bad decisions into learning experiences.

Find your Biases and Work With Them

We’ve all got biases — conscious and unconscious — and there’s no getting away from them. We trust some news sources more than others; we rush to judgment on issues that inflame our passions; we remember statistics that support our views, while conveniently forgetting facts that undermine our beliefs.

Most of use are unaware of our biases, a wide variety of studies have revealed, but they influence our decisions every day. What’s more, the most successful achievers tend to be the least aware of their biases, and the most overconfident in the rightness of their positions. In other words, the more world-changing power a person has, the more biased that person tends to be.

The good news is that once you’re aware of your own biases, you’re in a much better position to work with them, rather than being misled by them. The human brain comes loaded with handy tools for catching biases in action as you ponder a choice.

“Unlike most animals, we humans have the ability to be self aware, to self regulate,” says Teagan Wall, a PhD behavioral neuroscientist . Be aware of the things that make you happy and the things you’re inclined to overindulge in. Then, consciously take those tendencies into account when you’re making decisions.

“Make sure those desires aren’t just running on autopilot in the background,” Wall explains. “Bring them to front of your mind, acknowledge them, and stay aware of them as you make your decision.”

Take a look at this list of common biases, and see if you can catch any of them in your mind next time you’re thinking through an important choice.

Fit Your Thinking Style to the Task

Some psychology experts claim that people make more accurate decisions when they disregard intuition and think analytically. Intuition, these researchers say, leads to easy conclusions rather than accurate ones, which makes it dangerous. Other studies, however, found exactly the opposite effect — that intuition leads to more accurate decisions than detached analysis does. The truth about good decision-making may be somewhere in the middle: A growing body of research argues that the most accurate decision makers, overall, are people who know when to switch between the two modes of thinking.

A 2015 study by a team of researchers at Israel’s Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya found that people who describe themselves as “analytical thinkers” tended to be more accurate in analytical tasks like math problems, while self-described “intuitive thinkers” tend to do better on tasks like face recognition. Now here’s the real kicker: People who described themselves as adept at both modes of thought scored above average on both kinds of tasks.

The people who scored highest on both tasks described themselves as neither strongly intuitive nor strongly analytical. Instead, top scorers claimed they were both strongly intuitive and strongly analytical, depending on which type of thinking the situation called for. The top performers, in other words, were skilled at both types of thinking, and were flexible between them.

Next time you’re stumped on a decision, give logical analysis a serious try first — since it’s the slower of the two types of thinking — then, if that doesn’t work, make an equally earnest effort at intuitive thinking. The interplay of the two may lead you to the right choice.

Read More: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2016/01/15/decision-hacks-making-smarter-choices

Related Continuing Education Links

This is a test only course (book not included). The book (or e-book) can be purchased from Amazon.This CE test is based on the book “The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Healing the Social Brain” (2010, 460 pages), which provides an account of the scientific basis of psychotherapy, based on the newest revelations of neuroscience. Beginning with a neurological analysis of Freud’s theories, the author describes the functioning of the neurons and neural networks that comprise the biological basis of thinking and relationships. Chapters discuss research on anxiety, fear, trauma, neural plasticity, memory, executive functioning, identity, narrative, consciousness, and attachment relationships, interweaving the neuroscientific and clinical literature and providing clinical examples as illustrations of theory and technique. The final three chapters discuss the ability of psychotherapy to rewire the brain, including a review of the existing neuroimaging studies of psychotherapy. The book imparts a scientific understanding of just how and why psychotherapeutic processes have a positive impact on the nervous system.

This course is designed for the practitioner who would like to use journal-writing exercises with clients as an adjunct to traditional psychotherapy, and would like some topic ideas to suggest, rather than limiting writing only to the technique of “freewriting.” It is suggested, although not mandatory, that the practitioner has already completed the course #20-13, “Writing It Out: Journaling as an Adjunct to Therapy.” That course lays the basic foundation for understanding the benefits of journaling and how it can best be used with clients. It also teaches a number of basic writing techniques. Journaling II presents a brief overview of “freewriting,” as well as 36 directed exercises divided into three phases. It also offers interpretive questions coordinating with each exercise and an explanation of the use of a behavior log as a journaling exercise.

Self-defeating behaviors are negative on-going patterns of behaviors involving issues such as smoking, weight, inactive lifestyle, depression, anger, perfectionism, etc. This course is designed to teach concepts to eliminate these negative patterns. The course is educational: first you learn the model, then you apply it to a specific self-defeating behavior. A positive behavioral change is the outcome. Following the course, participants will be able to identify, analyze and replace their self-defeating behavior(s) with positive behavior(s). The course also provides an excellent psychological “tool” for clinicians to use with their clients. The author grants limited permission to photocopy forms and exercises included in this course for clinical use.

Professional Development Resources, Inc. is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) that offers 150+ online, video and book-based continuing education courses for healthcare professionals. We are approved by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (b); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board and Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.