December 23, 2011
NIMH Pages about Genetics
Publications about Genetics
- Looking at My Genes: What Can They Tell Me?
- A fact sheet containing frequently asked questions about genome scans and genetic testing.
Science News about Genetics
- Gene Regulator in Brain’s Executive Hub Tracked Across Lifespan – NIH study
- Press Release • February 02, 2012
For the first time, scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain’s executive hub. Among key findings of the study by National Institutes of Health scientists: genes implicated in schizophrenia and autism turn out to be members of a select club of genes in which regulatory activity peaks during an environmentally-sensitive critical period in development. - Turning on Dormant Gene May Hold Key for Correcting a Neurodevelopmental Defect
- Science Update • January 05, 2012
Scientists working in cell culture and in mice have been able to correct the loss of gene activity underlying a rare but severe developmental disorder by turning on a gene that is normally silenced in brain cells. - Suspect Gene Variants Boost PTSD Risk after Mass Shooting
- Science Update • December 01, 2011
College students exposed to a mass shooting were 20-30 percent more likely to later develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms if they harbored a risk version of a gene, NIMH-funded researchers have discovered. - Our Brains Are Made of the Same Stuff, Despite DNA Differences
- Press Release • October 26, 2011
Despite vast differences in the genetic code across individuals and ethnicities, the human brain shows a “consistent molecular architecture.” The finding is from a pair of studies that have created databases revealing when and where genes turn on and off in multiple brain regions through development. - Autism Blurs Distinctions Between Brain Regions
- Press Release • June 02, 2011
Autism blurs the molecular differences that normally distinguish different brain regions, a new study suggests. Among more than 500 genes that are normally expressed at significantly different levels in the front versus the lower middle part of the brain’s outer mantle, or cortex, only 8 showed such differences in brains of people with autism, say researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
More Science News about Genetics
Posts about Genetics
November 18, 2011
Neuroscience Advances Showcased in Washington
Dr. Insel reflects on an exciting neuroscience conference where an increasing interest in neuropsychiatric disorders was evident.
October 28, 2011
A New Picture of Brain Development
Two papers published this week in Nature provide the first maps of the molecular development of the human brain. Mapping brain development by changes in gene expression gives us a new level of precision and raises new possibilities for understanding the mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders.October 04, 2011
Psychiatric Genetics: More Pieces of the Puzzle
Results of the two largest studies of their kind, to date, have identified new common gene variants associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The results implicate specific pathways and hold promise for development of new treatments.
March 22, 2011
A GPS for the Developing Human Brain
The first transcription (genetic expression) map of the brain was recently posted. This is a landmark for brain research.
NIMH Topics
Disorders
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Anxiety Disorders
- Autism
- Bipolar Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Depression
- Eating Disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Social Phobia
Populations
- Older Adults
- Men's Mental Health
- Military Servicemembers
- Women's Mental Health
- Children and Adolescents
