genes

The Same Genes May Underlie Different Psychiatric Disorders

People who have autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may have different challenges, but the ailments might arise from a common set of genes. Researchers compared genetic analyses of 700 human brains from deceased individuals who had one of those three disorders, major depression or alcoholism with brains of individuals who had none of the conditions. They [...]

By |2018-07-30T14:15:30+10:00July 30th, 2018|Categories: Science & Research|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Do You Inherit Your Parent’s Mental Illness?

James Longman/BBC News In the battle to find what causes mental illness, scientists are increasingly looking at genetic factors. For James Longman - whose father killed himself after suffering from schizophrenia - it's a very personal question. I'm often told I look like my dad, that I have his mannerisms and some of [...]

By |2016-05-15T09:50:11+10:00May 15th, 2016|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , |1 Comment

Breakthrough Study Found The ‘Happiness Genes’

https://youtu.be/Nd7ffDXrw5U Everybody reacts to emotions differently. There are so many different ways that influence how one can experience emotions, and a new study suggests that DNA may be one of them. In a new study about human genetics, it was found that the "happiness gene" may affect how people experience happiness. For the very [...]

By |2016-05-01T16:04:36+10:00May 1st, 2016|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Epigenetics: Phenomenon or Quackery?

Are you really what your mother ate, drank or got stressed about? The simple answer is “no”, but not in the way you think. We are products of nature via nurture. Our genes and environments interact. And “environment” can be what we are experiencing now or at any time during our life. An overwhelming body [...]

9 Sneaky Causes Of Depression

Tara Moore via Getty Images For some people, sub-zero temperatures aren't the only difficult side effect of winter. Approximately 10 million Americans also experience seasonal affective disorder, a depression-related mental health condition that waxes and wanes depending on the time of year. In most instances, the disorder begins around the last leg of fall and lasts through [...]

The Problems with Evolutionary Psychology

telegraph.co.uk, Photo: CORBIS As evolutionary scientists, we devote much of our working lives to exploring the behaviour of humans and other animals through an evolutionary lens. So it may come as a surprise that our show at this year's Edinburgh Fringe is named Alas, Poor Darwin …?, borrowing from one of the most searing critiques of evolutionary [...]

Explainer: What is Epigenetics?

Epigenetics is about turning genes on or off. It’s also about doing this stably; a leopard doesn’t change its spots even if it sheds its fur each year. So epigenetics is about stable cellular memory that persists after cell division and, in some cases, even through sexual reproduction. Epigenetics, then, concerns the mechanisms that make [...]

What Causes Bipolar Disorder? Aside from Genes, These Are The Things Most Likely To Increase Your Risk

pixshark.com The thought of developing bipolar disorder seemingly out of nowhere can be scary. Also known as manic-depressive illness, the disease can be severe and life-changing. Drastic changes in mood, including lows that leave you unable to function and highs that remove you from reality, can make it nearly impossible to make it [...]

Relationships Build the Brain

                  We are, right now, in the middle of a revolution in our thinking about the developing brain. We have always known it was important to nurture the very young but now we know why. A burgeoning number of new technologies, such as MRI, PET and rainbow [...]

The Feel-Good Gene: Those with Naturally High Levels of Anandamide Less Anxious and Fearful

In Australia, anxiety is even more common than depression. In fact, about one in four of us suffer from it. The general belief is that stress or circumstances cause it. But, this might not necessarily be the case. Richard Friedman, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, says some of us have a feel-good [...]

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