Monthly Archives:
October 2021

The Brain That Changes Itself
October 31, 2021
The Brain That Changes Itself

Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, M.D., traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they’ve transformed—people...

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Category:  Blog, Books
Brain areas involved with obsessive-compulsive disorder present different DNA methylation modulation

de Oliveira, K.C., Camilo, C., Gastaldi, V.D. et al. Brain areas involved with obsessive-compulsive disorder present different DNA methylation modulation. BMC Genom Data 22, 45 (2021). DOI:10.1186/s12863-021-00993-0

  • Confirms involvement of previously associated genes and biological processes in OCD as well as reports differences related to specific brain areas
  • Findings point to a role of cellular communication, inflammatory processes and behavior mediated by DNA methylation in OCD brain tissues.
  • Findings were related to the immune system, reaffirming the current literature findings about its involvement with OCD.
  • Changes in DNA methylation are involved with OCD and further studies are needed to characterize alterations in different paths in each brain area.
Disruptions and Adaptations in Family Functioning: A Study of Families’ Experiences with PANS/PANDAS

Dolce, J.L., LaRusso, M.D. & Abadia-Barrero, C. Disruptions and Adaptations in Family Functioning: A Study of Families’ Experiences with PANS/PANDAS. J Child Fam Stud (2021). DOI:10.1007/s10826-021-02101-3

  • Examined family functioning utilizing online parent forums and nine semi-structured interviews with PANS/PANDAS families.
  • Unpredictability & relapsing-remitting nature of neuropsychiatric symptoms cause significant disruptions to daily life.
  • Financial strain, social isolation, and lack of support from schools and medical institutions transform family functioning.
  • Parents’ frequent use of trauma metaphors to describe experience diverges from literature on other chronic illnesses.