Blog Posts

Neuro-Diversity, Metabolism, Diet and the Need for Precision Medicine

1/20/2024

So to me the important thing about "Maternal Immune Activation" is "DYSREGULATION" of MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OF THE BODY.

And one of the BIG KEYS to that is "MITOCHONDRIA."

Down Syndrome based on research from the University of Colorado School of Medicine is now being conceptualized as an IMMUNE DISORDER. See also Mayo Clinic on general Down Syndrome information.

Nobody is expecting Down Syndrome to be REVERSED by "DIET" alone.

High IQ Developmental Difference/Disorder --- the reality of that is not something we're really willing to accept. I'm not saying we should "ACCEPT IT and DO NOTHING" ---

But there can be much more of looking for a "QUICK FIX" --- that may in fact help --- may even be LIFE SAVING
Even as the Developmental Aspects are shrugged off, ignored or never appreciated in the first place.

October 25, 2023

Metabolomic Biomarker Signatures for Bipolar and Unipolar Depression

Maternal Inflammation During Pregnancy and Offspring Brain Development:

The Role of Mitochondria

"The association between maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy and risk for offspring neuropsychiatric disorders has been increasingly recognized over the past several years. "

Critical role of dysfunctional mitochondria and defective mitophagy in autism spectrum disorders (2021)

Affiliations

Hengyang Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration and Cognitive Impairment & Institute of Neuroscience, Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, People's Republic of China; Lhasa Guangsheng Hospital, Lhasa, People's Republic of China.

Translational Neuroscience:
Toward New Therapies

Chapter 3
Psychotic Disorders and the Neurodevelopmental Continuum

Michael J. Owen

"EMBO" stands for Excellence in the Life Sciences in Europe and Around the World

Metabolic Mind: Interview with Dr. Chris Palmer at Harvard.

One of the current big ideas in PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS is around METABOLISM and a KETOGENIC DIET.

This is being promoted by a number of academics and organizations including METABOLIC MIND.

Above is an interview with Dr. Chris Palmer at Harvard. I find SOME of Dr. Palmer's ideas very interesting --- I am concerned that there is not an appreciation of some of the DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS of this.

Mental Illness & Metabolism

What are the basic rules for keto?

Keto basics

"The ketogenic diet is a very low carb, high fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and low carb diets.

"It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

"When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain (6Trusted Source).

"Ketogenic diets can cause significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels. This, along with the increased ketones, has some health benefits."

A DSM 5 Classification System that Isn't Good Enough

1/16/2024

Our current classification system contained in the DSM 5 is not supported by the research.

What is supported by the research is something much more DEVELOPMENTAL in which diagnostic categories are not fixed..
That has clinical, legal and policy ramifications.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) without boundaries: research and interventions beyond classifications (2023)

"Both genetic and environmental factors, along with clinical and imaging features, argue toward a continnum between NDD (Neuro-Developmental Disorders) but also with adult psychiatric presentations.

"This new paradigm could modify the therapeutic strategy, with the development of large-spectrum treatments or new psychotherapies addressing co-occuring symptoms."

December 12, 2023

The Ups and Downs of Bipolar Disorder

National Institute of Mental Health feature story on Josh Santana who was academically gifted, had ADHD and Bipolar Disorder.

King's College London
Thinking Twice About ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (2019)

Autism and Beyond: Unveiling Overlapping Neurotypes

January 24, 2024

Key Facts:

The study found a substantial overlap in neurodivergence, with 76.2% of autistic children displaying traits of other neurotypes, including ADHD.

Over 55% of children assessed for autism might also meet the diagnostic threshold for ADHD, highlighting the necessity of holistic neurotype assessments.

Despite the clinical overlap, only 26% of children with additional traits were investigated for an underlying diagnosis, stressing the need for more comprehensive evaluation methods.

Source: University of Glasgow

Affiliations

1 GHU-Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Paris, France.
2 Excellence Centre for Autism and Neuro-Developmental Disorders, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris Cité University, Paris, France.
3 Immunology, Immunopathology, Immunotherapy, INSERM U959, Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
4 Université de Paris, INSERM U1266, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, Paris, France.
5 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Saint-Etienne University Hospital and CNRS UMR 5229, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Marc Jeannerod, University Lyon 1, Bron, France.
6 Child Mind Institute, New York, USA.
7 Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, Bordeaux, France.
8 CHU Montpellier-Saint Eloi Hospital, University of Montpellier, Unit of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (MPEA1), Montpellier, France.
9 Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), INSERM U 1018, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France.
10 Department of Pediatrics, Sainte Justine Hospital Research Center, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, H4A3J1, Canada.
11 INSERM-UMR1163, Université Paris Cité, Institut Imagine, Paris, France.
12 Faculty of Medicine, University of Tours, Tours, France.
13 Autism and NDD GIS (GIS Autisme et Troubles du Neurodéveloppement), Paris, France.
14 Autism and NDD GIS (GIS Autisme et Troubles du Neurodéveloppement), Paris, France. [email protected].
15 Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Science Up

Shared Genes & Psychiatric Disorders

Mirror Neurons innately tuned to aggression

1/5/2024

med.stanford.edu ›

mirror-neurons-aggression

Scientists discover mirror neurons in mice and find they’re ...

Feb 15, 2023 · The researchers found also that these mirror neurons seemed innately tuned to aggression, even in mice that had never witnessed or engaged in aggressive behavior. They did

BUT . . .

Unlocking Anger’s Potential:

A Surprising Key to Goal Achievement

Alice Merton -- No Roots
"A thousand times I've seen this road. A thousand times."

Dec. 5, 2023
Cerebellar Glia Influence Aggression Level

Mirror Neurons & Aggression

Does a Mirror-Trap reactivate aggression-mirroring neurons?

We used a genetically encoded mirror-TRAP strategy to functionally interrogate these aggression-mirroring neurons. We find that their activity is essential for fighting and that forced activation of these cells triggers aggressive displays by mice, even toward their mirror image.

Hypothalamic neurons that mirror aggression - PubMed

Cortical Thickness & the Neurobiology of 6 Psychiatric

12/10/2023

Virtual Histology of Cortical Thickness and Shared Neurobiology in 6 Psychiatric Disorders (2021)

JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Assn.) Psychiatry

Conclusions and relevance: In this study, shared neurobiologic processes were associated with differences in cortical thickness across multiple psychiatric disorders. These processes implicate a common role of prenatal development and postnatal functioning of the cerebral cortex in these disorders.

[See Cleveland Clinic: Cerebral Cortex]

Affiliations

1 Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
2 Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
3 The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
4 Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
5 Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
6 Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Parkville, Australia.
7 Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
8 Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
9 Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
10 Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
11 University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Groningen, the Netherlands.
12 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, IiSGM, CIBERSAM, Spain.
13 FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
14 The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
15 Department of Pediatrics University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
16 Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland.
17 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, IiSGM, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, CIBERSAM.
18 The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
19 Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience; King's College London, London, England.
20 Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
21 INT UMR 7289, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence, France.
22 Department of Psychiatry, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Santander, Spain.
23 Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
24 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
25 Department of Genetics, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
26 The Research Institute of Pediatrics and Child Health of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.
27 Magnetic Resonance Image Core Facility, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
28 University of Münster, Department of Psychiatry, Münster, Germany.
29 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
30 Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
31 Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Bari, Italy.
32 Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
33 Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
34 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona Bipolar Disorders and Depressive Unit, Hospital Clinic, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
35 Department of Psychiatry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
36 McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts.
37 School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
38 Institute for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
39 Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroimaging (LIM-21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
40 Department of Developmental Neuroscience - IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
41 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa.
42 Tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
43 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain.
44 Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM); University of Barcelona, Spain.
45 Centre for Neuroimaging & Cognitive Genomics (NICOG), Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory, NCBES Galway Neuroscience Centre, College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland.
46 School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
47 Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
48 Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, England.
49 Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, England.
50 Departments of Paediatrics and Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
51 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
52 Department of Psychiatry, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Santander, Spain; Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain; Departamento de Psiquiatria, Universidad de Sevilla, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS), Sevilla, Spain.
53 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London UK; Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
54 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
55 Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, London, London, England.
56 Orygen, Melbourne, Australia.
57 Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
58 IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
59 Campbell Family Mental Health Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
60 Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Social Sciences, City, University of London, Northampton Square, Clerkenwell, London, England.
61 Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
62 Department of Psychiatry and Biological Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Bronx, New York.
63 University Medical Center Goettingen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Systems Neuroscience and Imaging in Psychiatry, Göettingen, Germany.
64 Department of Psychiatry, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
65 Behavioral Neuroscience Department, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland.
66 Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.
67 Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
68 Child OCD and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor.
69 San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, California.
70 Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
71 University of East London, School of Psychology, London, England.
72 Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
73 Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, England.
74 Tommy Fuss Center for Neuropsychiatric Disease Research, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
75 Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
76 Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
77 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
78 Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
79 Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
80 Section for Experimental Psychopathology and Neuroimaging, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
81 FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
82 Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
83 Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, England.
84 Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
85 Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
86 Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
87 University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), Groningen, the Netherlands.
88 Department of Experimental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
89 Genentech Inc, South San Francisco, California.
90 Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
91 Research Center for Child Mental Development, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
92 Department of Psychiatry and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco.
93 University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, the Netherlands.
94 Radboud University Medical Center, Karakter University Center of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
95 Department of Psychiatry, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
96 National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic.
97 Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
98 Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
99 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
100 University of Oxford, Oxford, England.

101 Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
102 Department of Internal Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming. China.
103 Research Institute of Pediatrics and child health of the Central clinical hospital of the Ministry of Science and Education, Moscow, Russia.
104 Department of Psychiatry, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
105 Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
106 Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
107 Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
108 Child Neuropsychology Section, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, German; JARA-Brain Institute II Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany.
109 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Germany.
110 Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

111 Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
112 Mental Health Research Center, Moscow, Russia.
113 Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
114 SA MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
115 Institute of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
116 Department of Biological and Medical psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
117 Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
118 University Centre for Information Technology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
119 Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
120 Group of Research in Mental Health, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau, IIBSant Pau; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain.

121 Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York.
122 Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
123 Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain.
124 McMaster University, Mood Disorders Program, SJH Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
125 Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
126 Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, King's College London, London, England.
127 Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, England.
128 Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
129 OCD clinic, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India.

130 Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine.
131 Center for MR Research, University Children's Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland.
132 Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
133 Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Emma Neuroscience Group, department of Pediatrics, Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
134 Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, University of California Los Angeles.
135 Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
136 Neuroimaging Unit, Technological Facilities, Valdecilla Biomedical Research Institute IDIVAL; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Santander, Spain.
137 Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia.
138 Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, England.
139 Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

140 Department of Psychology (Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy), and Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
141 Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland; Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark.
142 Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine.
143 Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
144 Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
145 Priority Centre for Brain & Mental Health Research, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
146 Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Germany.
147 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
148 National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Pisa Division, Pisa, Italy.
149 Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, England.

150 Department of Pathology of Mental Diseases, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
151 Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts.
152 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, IiSGM, Facultad de Psicologia, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
153 Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
154 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.
155 National Human Genome Research Institute and National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
156 School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Melbourne, Australia.
157 West Region, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
158 Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
159 Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Institute of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
160 Pediatric OCD Consultation Clinic, Anxiety Treatment and Research Center, SJH Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
161 Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Nathan Kline Institute, New York.
162 Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama, Japan.
163 Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living, Hartford, Connecticut.
164 Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance - IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
165 Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
166 Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
167 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
168 Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
169 Academic Child Psychiatry Unit, Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

170 Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Spain.
171 Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
172 Instituto ITACA, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.
173 Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
174 Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
175 Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, England.
176 Clinical Translational Neuroscience Laboratory, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA; Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine.
177 German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock/Greifswald, Germany.
178 University of California San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, Weill Institute for Neurosciences.
179 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Child Study Center, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, New York.

180 Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
181 Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
182 Departments of Human Genetics and Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
183 Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
184 Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
185 Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
186 Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
187 Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
188 Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
189 SAMRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
190 Psychology Department and Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia.
191 Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Significant correlation between Altitude and Suicide Mortality among US Veterans

12/9/2023

Conjecture

Colorado Medicaid Providers might want to partner in a more STRUCTURED & SYSTEMIC Way to address issues of ALTITUDE and Mental Health with---

National Jewish Hospital in Denver
- They are a national leader in respiratory work & have a SLEEP LAB.
My take has been if the COPING MECHANISM you need is OXYGEN ---- THERE REALLY is no SUBSTITUTE.
People should be screened for:
- Deviated Septum
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Sleep Apnea --- sleep apnea can be due to a lot of things ---
  - Obstructive sleep apnea
  - Substance-Induced sleep apnea, and
  - Altitude induce sleep apnea
    - Sleep apnea has been associated with bipolar disorder according to Taiwan University.
- Etc.

I re-iterate I don't think the ONLY issue in Mental Health is ALTITUDE, SLEEP APNEA, etc. --- but I think this is an issue that helps explain why Mountainous Regions have significantly above Average Suicide Rates.If we want to say there are other SOCIAL FACTORS --- that's fine --

BUT STOP IGNORING ALTITUDE and other Complicated Factors to getting OXYGEN to the BRAIN.
There should be a SYSTEM OF COORDINATED CARE to have people evaluated for oxygen issues and screened for mental health issues.

I think people can sometimes feel EMBARRASSED by these really MUNDANE ISSUES that could potentially lead to something more SERIOUS or Bizarre Behavior that's even MORE EMBARRASSING or WORSE.

High Altitude & Sky High Suicide Rates

The Need for a New Integrated DSM

An examination of the association between altitude and suicide deaths, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation among veterans at both the patient and geospatial level (Sept. 2022)

Highlights

•There is a significant correlation between altitude and suicide mortality rate for U.S. veterans.

•The association between altitude and suicide deaths is higher than the association with suicide attempts or ideation.

•Controlling for relevant factors improves the correlation.

Our work suggested that geospatial factors such as altitude may be significant and should be included in suicide prediction models.

Future studies should incorporate altitude and other hypoxia-related variables into the suicide prediction models in order to further investigate how altitude and associated variables are related to suicide.

Affiliations

1 Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
2 Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
3 Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
4 Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
5 Departments of Computer Science, Hood College, Frederick, MD, USA.
6 VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Center of Excellence, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA.
7 Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
8 Durham Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System, Durham, NC, USA; VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA; VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham, NC, USA.
9 Million Veteran Program, Department of Veterans Affairs, USA.

NO Competent Health Care System If We Don't Understand Developmental Neuro-Inflammation

10/20/2023

& We Certainly Won't Have a Competent Mental Health System If We Don't Understand Developmental Neuro-Inflammation ---

We are spending an ENORMOUS amount of money on HEALTHCARE in this Society.

One of the go to BROMIDES is --- WE NEED MORE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
We have often thought that our CHRONIC DISEASE EPIDEMIC is a result in large part of people NOT TAKING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

At the same time we're coming to terms with:
- The CONTRADICTIONS inherent in BOTH SIDES of the PRO LIFE DEBATE, and
- The DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS of many BEHAVIOR ISSUES.
  - Those DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS are often SEX SPECIFIC and can be more obvious in males;
  - BUT the DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS often involve MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION (MIA)

There are probably a lot of proteins of 20,000 that are disrupted by Maternal Immune Activation ---
- C-Reactive Protein is a protein that keeps coming up with regard to Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders
- Mayo Clinic --- C-Reactive Protein Test as relates to Heart Disease

Should you be tested for inflammation? (Mar. 2022)

C-reactive protein as a potential biomarker in psychiatric practice: Are we there yet? (2021)

Results: The accumulating evidence from large studies and meta-analyses allows us to understand the role of CRP in major psychiatric disorders and increase our understanding of specific symptoms and subtypes of disorders.

CRP may be considered a 'psychiatric biomarker' which can alert clinicians about neuroinflammation, adverse effects of medications, cardiometabolic status, co-morbidities, and may also predict clinical outcomes and guide optimal treatment selection.

CAVEAT: The Study is NOT saying all questions have been answered but given "ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE" C-Reactive Protein may be considered a "BIO-MARKER."

Potential Inflammatory Biomarker in Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Nov. 2022)

Cytokines and C-reactive protein alterations with respect to cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A systematic review. (2018)

C-Reactive Protein during pregnancy is associated with different brain morphology, Autism, considered a potential biomarker for psychiatric illness, a potential biomarker for ADHD, is associated with Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Depression.

Based on what CRP itself is, there is an obvious link between this protein and inflammation. Because of this, high CRP levels are a concern as well, primarily because they can be an indicator of chronic inflammation. This is true especially if high CRP levels remain for long periods of time without receding.

Chronic inflammation can be incredibly harmful to the body. Why is this? Inflammation signals white blood cells to release “free radicals” into the body and kill harmful stimuli.

The problem with this is that the free radicals damage the surrounding areas of where a harmful stimuli might be, harming and even killing our cells. This process, when prolonged, greatly increases the risk for cancer cells to develop.

This type of research has discovered that chronic inflammation plays a role in the development of many different diseases and health conditions. Some of these include arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, lupus, neurodegeneration like Alzheimer’s, and even Parkinson’s disease. Recent research indicates it might even be linked to depression.

Unfortunately, there is still much more research to be done in regards to actually treating and preventing chronic inflammation, and in turn keeping CRP levels low. As it stands, Johns Hopkins Medicine states that treating chronic ailments, like high CRP levels,is a challenge.

Elevated Maternal C-Reactive Protein and Autism in a National Birth Cohort (2014)

The long-term impact of elevated C-reactive protein levels during pregnancy on brain morphology in late childhood (July 2022)

Conclusion and relevance:Our results suggest sex-specific long-term effects in brain morphology after MIA [Maternal Immune Activation].

Categorical analyses suggest that this association might be driven by acute infections or or other sources of severe inflammation, which is of clinical relevance given that the COVID-19 pandemic is currently affecting millions of pregnant women worldwide.

Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Patients With Depression, Independent of Genetic, Health, and Psychosocial Factors: Results From the UK Biobank. (2021)

The Crying Need for: Medical Integrators

10/15/2023

Medical Integrators

Integrating Information across:
- Immunology
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Psychiatry/Psychology
- Etc.

It is beyond frustrating to know that we have so much research BUT we don't have an effective means to integrate it in a "timely and responsible manner."

We've heard a lot about the need to re-allocate resources in the Society to address COMPLEX PROBLEMS in CRIMINAL JUSTICE.

We need to think about re-allocating resources, creating/expanding work in MEDICINE to deal with an EXPLOSION OF INFORMATION AND RESEARCH which is exposing that Medical Disciplines are not sufficiently INTEGRATED.

Understanding how SYSTEMIC DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION and INFLAMMATION ACQUIRED during the lifetime impact HEALTH OUTCOMES is critically important to many chronic diseases, neuro-developmental differences/disorders and psychiatric disorders.

I think there's a vague understanding with regard to INFLAMMATION --- but New & Growing Knowledge regarding the RAMIFICATIONS of SYSTEMIC DEVELOPMENTAL INFLAMMATION ----

has the potential to transform our Society and
it may be one of the keys to INTEGRATING various medical disciplines.

The Impact of Systemic Inflammation on Neurodevelopment (2018)

Cytokines and neurodevelopment

In the past several decades, inflammation has been increasingly recognized as an important contributor to central nervous system (CNS) injury in both the developing and adult brain.

The brain is particularly vulnerable in utero as well as during infancy and early childhood, and insults that occur during these critical periods have the potential to cause long-term damage.

Several neurodevelopmental disorders have been linked to early life immune activation and inflammation, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cognitive impairment, and depression .

We have been MISSING MANY VARIABLES OF THIS EQUATION ---THAT MATTERS.

9/4/2023

Val's Take: So to me, the main point is that psychiatric disorders are involving MORE THAN the Central Nervous System (CNS).

Burden of Proof

The Need for A New Integrated DSM

DOJ'S 2011 Q&A on Enforcement of the Integration Mandate of the ADA

Mayor: Pueblo won't have 'good grasp' on homelessness until mental health treatment improves - https://goo.gl/alerts/jMQVqg #GoogleAlerts

European College of Neuropsycho-
pharmacology

Mechanistic research in immunopsychiatry: state of the art and future goals (2022)

The Respiratory System & Mental Health

8/16/2023

Conjecture

I remember my Art History Professor saying, "Art paints a 1,000 words --- IF you know the language."

I tend to think of things in terms of "LANGUAGES."

Human Biology which is NOT IDENTICAL to the biology of other Animals but is similar can be thought of as a kind of LANGUAGE.

The DSM 5 with its "CLUSTERS OF SYMPTOMS" is a kind of language and it's a lot about SURFACE OBSERVATION.

The underlying ASSUMPTION is that "MENTAL HEALTH" and "Mental Illness" are about "THE BRAIN."

I think "MENTAL HEALTH" is about "THE BRAIN" and the "CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM" --- and those are very, very complicated.

For me personally, one of my favorite ART FORMS is FILM because it combines so many other forms of ART.

My roommate in college --- she wanted to be a Film Director and if I wasn't doing what I'm doing --- that sounds pretty cool to me too.

So what I'm trying to get at is when we think of "MENTAL HEALTH" and "MENTAL ILLNESS" we need to be bringing in "A LOT":

Probably ALL the SYSTEMS of the BODY
- the Immune System
- the Endocrine System
- the Metabolism
- the Cardio-Vascular System
- the Microbiome --- this is relatively new
  - [Hey, I thought we already knew all the Systems of the Body!?]
- etc.
The Social Determinants of Health
- FOOD & HOUSING being right up there
The other Humans and Animals we're around
- Cat infections have been associated with Human mental health problems
The Chemicals and Substances in the Environment that we're exposed to --- in the Physical and Natural Environment
- Lead
- Plastics
- Pesticides
- naturally occurring Radon
- etc.
Altitude
Heat/Cold --- etc.

I've spent a lot of time on the Immune System, the Endocrine System, the Metabolism and the Microbiome.

One of the Systems of the BODY --- I have not spent as much time on is the RESPIRATORY SYSTEM --- although I have touched on "SLEEP APNEA."

Mental Health & Sleep Apnea --- When the Coping Mechanism You Need is OXYGEN --- There Really Is No Substitute

Before we have the FULL RESULTS of the US National Institute of Mental Health's RDoc Program (Research Domain Criteria Program) ---One thing we might do in addition to the traditional mental health questionnaire -- is go through an OVERVIEW of the SYSTEMS of the BODY and Concerns that often also have "PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS."

The Need for a New Integrated DSM

Selected Studies on the Respiratory System & Mental Health

Mental health problems, obstructive lung disease and lung function: findings from the general population (2011)

Affiliation

1 Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and Schön Klinik Hamburg-Eilbek, Hamburg, Germany.

Methods: The 12-month prevalence of specific psychopathological syndromes among 1772 adults from the general population was estimated by a structured interview.

Additionally, participants underwent spirometry and were asked about obstructive lung disease in the year prior to the study.

Logistic and linear regression models were used to relate obstructive lung disease and spirometrically defined airway obstruction to mental health problems.

Results: Mental health problems were found in 35.7% of the participants. After adjusted for sociodemographic, clinical and life-style factors, asthma and chronic bronchitis were associated with almost all domains of mental health problems. In contrast, independent of its definition, spirometric airflow limitation was only related to generalized anxiety (odds ratios ranging from 2.3 to 2.7).

A reduced ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity was associated with mental health problems in general and panic and general anxiety in particular.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest an association of objective measure of airflow limitation to generalized anxiety and panic.

While the causal relationship between obstructive lung disease, airflow limitation and anxiety remains to be determined, clinicians should pay diagnostic attention to the significant overlap of these conditions.

Screening for obstructive sleep apnoea in patients with serious mental illness. (2022)

Zhang LY, Anderson J, Higgins N, Robinson J, Francey S, Burke A, Robinson G, Curtin D, Tay G. Australas Psychiatry. 2022 Oct;30(5):615-618. doi: 10.1177/10398562221108632. Epub 2022 Jun 17. PMID: 35714679

OBJECTIVE: Patients with serious mental illness (SMI) are at increased risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). ...Of the five patients who agreed to proceed to diagnostic sleep testing, three were diagnosed with OSA.

CONCLUSION: A high proportio …

Metabolomics in Sleep, Insomnia and Sleep Apnea. (2019)

Humer E, Pieh C, Brandmayr G. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 30;21(19):7244. doi: 10.3390/ijms21197244. PMID: 33008070 Free PMC article. Review.

This review aims to summarize the status of metabolomic analyses-based knowledge on sleep disorders and to present knowledge in understanding the metabolic role of sleep in psychiatric disorders.

...In insomnia, alterations in branched-chain amino acid and glucose m …

The Intersection of Sleep Apnea and Severe Mental Illness in Veterans. (2019)

Soreca I, Tighe CA, Bramoweth AD. Psychosomatics. 2019 Sep-Oct;60(5):481-487. doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2019.01.007. Epub 2019 Jan 22. PMID: 30744999 Free PMC article.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) have a high prevalence of risk factors for sleep apnea, but these risk factors often go unrecognized, partly due to the overlap among sleep apnea, somatic conditions, and symptoms …

Afghanistan and Iraq War Veterans: Mental Health Diagnoses are Associated with Respiratory Disease Diagnoses (2018)

Affiliations

1 Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, VA Portland Health Care System, (R&D 66) 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Road, Portland, OR 97239.
2 Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, VA Portland Health Care System, 3710 SW U.S. Veterans Hospital Road, Portland, OR 97239.
3 Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, OHSU Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Mail Code UHN6, Portland, OR 97239-3098.
4 Department of Veterans Affairs, War Related Illness and Injury Study Center, Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System, 385 Tremont Ave, Mail Stop 129, East Orange, NJ 07018-1095.
5 Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, New Jersey Medical School, The State University of New Jersey, Stanley S. Bergen Building, 65 Bergen Street, Newark, NJ 07103.
6 School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, MC: GH230, Portland, OR 97239.

The ECONOMICS & ETHICS of: A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSION in the MIDDLE of a MAJOR PARADIGM SHIFT

8/6/2023

and A SHADOW HEALTHCARE SYSTEM in CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Conjecture

There are so many PAINFUL CHALLENGES about living in a WORLD OF INFINITE POSSIBILITY and
- Finite Resources
- Limited Time and
- Energy

We are almost always of necessity leaving work for FUTURE GENERATIONS.

One of the most important things we can do is grapple with the ETHICAL ISSUES raised by PARADIGM SHIFTS in OUR OWN TIME.
- AND how we can do this BETTER.

To me ---- A BIG PIECE OF THE PUZZLE IN DEALING with COGNITIVE DIFFERENCE/DISABILITY and RESOURCE INEQUALITY is thinking through a PRO LIFE APPROACH through the LIFE SPAN.

I often pick on Elon Musk because he is an "OUT" NEURO-DIVERSE PERSON, he is one of the RICHEST PEOPLE in the the WORLD --- and he is kind of a NUT CASE and in "some ways" is very SMART.

I also often "pick on" the Mental Health Profession and the Legal Profession ---
- and I do think those Professions have serious problems --- and so do most professions.

So one of the ISSUES is trying to ACCURATELY DESCRIBE where we are at in our understanding of "Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders."
- Seemingly we know or some people (some researchers, lay people, etc) know that the current PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL is SERIOUSLY FLAWED and/or "INVALID" according to the National Institute of Mental Health in 2013.
- What are the Ramifications of that?

Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders are more and more viewed as on a "CONTINUUM."
- What are the Ramifications of that?

Neuro-Developmental & Psychiatric Disorders are still viewed as "Brain Issues" but in addition to the Central Nervous System, we're also talking about DYSREGULATIONS of the IMMUNE SYSTEM, ENDOCRINE SYSTEM, the MICROBIOME, and the METABOLISM.
- What are the Ramifications of that?

Further, this is not as SIMPLE as:
- Challenging Genes = Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders
- At the very least this is often:
  - Challenging Genes + Maternal Immune Activation (during pregnancy)
  - And the impact of GREATER "DEVELOPMENTAL" and AFTER ACQUIRED INFLAMMATION OVER THE LIFE SPAN
- Both Maternal Immune Activation and Inflammation Acquired after Birth can come from MANY SOURCES.
- What are the RAMIFICATIONS of this COMPLEXITY?

So when it comes to ECONOMICS ---

We need to fund TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, MEDICINE
We need to DE-PERSONALIZE as in DE-CRIMINALIZE DYSREGULATIONS of the Body --
- while at the same time recognizing the need for PRECISION MEDICINE and these DYSREGULATIONS can be HIGHLY IDIOSYNCRATIC.
Get HONEST about IMPERFECT TREATMENTS, and
Bring people into the PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS from all sides.

Neurodevelopmental disorders—the history and future of a diagnostic concept  (2020)

Abstract

This article describes the history of the diagnostic class of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) up to DSM-5.

We further analyze how the development of genetics will transform the classification and diagnosis of NDDs. In DSM-5, NDDs include intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Physicians in German-, French- and English-speaking countries (eg, Weikard, Georget, Esquirol, Down, Asperger, and Kanner) contributed to the phenomenological definitions of these disorders throughout the 18th and 20th centuries.

These diagnostic categories show considerable comorbidity and phenotypic overlap. NDDs are one of the chapters of psychiatric nosology most likely to benefit from the approach advocated by the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Domain Criteria project.

Genetic research supports the hypothesis that ID, ASD, ADHD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder lie on a neurodevelopmental continuum.

The identification of recurrently observed copy number variants and disruptive gene variants in ASD (eg, CDH8, 16p11.2, SCN2A) led to the adoption of the genotype-first approach to characterize individuals at the etiological level. 