Advanced Age Is Associated With Catatonia in Critical Illness: Results From the Delirium and Catatonia Prospective Cohort Investigation
November 19, 2021
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.673166
Catatonia, characterized by motor, behavioral and affective abnormalities, frequently co-occurs with delirium during critical illness. Advanced age is a known risk factor for development of delirium. However, the association between age and catatonia has not been described. We aim to describe the occurrence of catatonia, delirium, and coma by age group in a critically ill, adult population.
First Author: Vanderbilt Medical Student Jennifer Connell
Senior Author: Jo Ellen Wilson, MD, MPH
Article: Delirium, depression, and long-term cognition
November 17, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610221002556
Warren paper examines dysfunction in dopamine system, influence on depression in older adults
August 18, 2021
Warren D. Taylor, M.D., MHSc, James G Blakemore Professor of Psychiatry, served as lead author of a new publication proposing how dysfunction in the dopamine system may influence depression in older adults. This may influence risk for depression but also serve as a new target for treatment. The manuscripts provides the rationale for a current multi-site study being conducted at Vanderbilt examining the effect of levodopa (Sinemet) on late-life depression. The paper appears in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
NIMH support bolsters early psychosis research efforts
Corbett: Pre-teens with ASD experience distinct physical changes
July 1, 2021
https://discover.vumc.org/2021/06/pre-teens-with-asd-experience-distinct-physical-changes/?utm_campaign=vmsh-newsletter-01-07-2021&utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&mkt_tok=OTk1LUFNUS0zNTQAAAF-AM4rJwpdB0nfmWJUphRvtySS9q_tSTyyTtTA5dU5rXrCh26pVbZWQ6qP-q0kNOxlh96wVcpLx5m5UeE9KLVMR57edteS5kB7bk1PwdJhAwE&mkto_email_id=jsontest&send_date=Jul%201%2C%202021%206%3A30%3A18%20AM&article_title=Pre-teens%20with%20ASD%20Experience%20Distinct%20Physical%20Changes&campaign_id=1207&primary_attribute_value_id=12284
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience distinct physical changes – including a higher body mass index and advanced pubertal onset – that could heighten social stressors, according to research led by Blythe Corbett, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Program combines treatment for mental health, substance use disorders
May 4, 2021
https://news.vumc.org/2021/04/29/program-combines-treatment-for-mental-health-substance-use-disorders/
For people with co-occurring mental health disorders and substance use disorders, finding integrated care that treats both conditions can be a difficult task. Vanderbilt Behavioral Health is seeking to simplify care for these patients through the co-occurring disorders intensive outpatient program (IOP).
Study to explore treatment for older adults with depression
April 23, 2021
https://news.vumc.org/2021/04/22/study-to-explore-treatment-for-older-adults-with-depression/
Older adults with depression face a unique obstacle — dealing with both a mental illness and the challenges that come along with aging. Currently, there are no treatments on the market targeting depression in this specific group.
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has received a grant to study Sinemet, which may change that. Sinemet, a brand name for the drug levodopa, has historically treated Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder characterized by injury to dopamine-producing neurons.
Study links ADHD pharmacotherapy and retention rates for substance use disorder treatment
April 5, 2021
https://news.vumc.org/2021/04/02/study-links-adhd-pharmacotherapy-and-retention-rates-for-substance-use-disorder-treatment/
Kristopher Kast, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and clinical director of Vanderbilt’s Addiction Consult Service, has discovered a strong association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pharmacotherapy and retention rates for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.
The findings were reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.