Monday, December 13, 2004

Cumulative trauma in adulthood can worsen health in later years
APA press release - "Cumulative trauma during a person's lifetime can have an overall effect on health in one's later years, according to a study that examines the consequences of traumatic events on older adults' physical health. Also, traumas experienced in adulthood compared to traumas experienced in childhood appear to cause more damage to an older person's (65 and older) health, say researchers of a new study reported on in the December issue of Psychology and Aging published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Traumas are distinguished from other types of stressful life events by their seriousness, like experiencing a serious or life threatening illness, witnessing a violent crime or being in combat."  
  

Brain imaging reveals new language circuits
John Wiley & Sons press release - "The language network of the brain seemed simpler in the past. One brain area was recognized to be critical for the production of language, another for its comprehension. A dense bundle of nerve fibers connected the two. But there have always been naysayers who pointed to evidence that failed to fit this tidy picture. Now a study employing a powerful variant of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirms these suspicions. The study will be published December 13, 2004 in the online edition of Annals of Neurology." See also the full article, Perisylvian language networks of the human brain.  
  

Anorexia Nervosa Consequences Demand Vigilant Clinical Monitoring
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "The high prevalence of hemodynamic, hematologic, endocrine, and bone density abnormalities among adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa demands intense clinical monitoring, according to a report in the December issue of Pediatrics." "med"  
  

Immigrants Enjoy Better Mental Health
Story at Ivanhoe's Medical News - "Common sense may suggest immigrating to a new country like the United States would increase stress levels and put people at risk for psychiatric disorders. But that’s not the case, report researchers in this month’s Archives of General Psychiatry. In fact, their study finds immigrants to this country are actually in much better mental health than people born in America. Researchers analyzed data from a national survey on alcohol use disorder and related conditions conducted from 2001-2002..."