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• Past Factoids Volume One

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• Past Factoids Volume Four

• Past Factoids Volume Five

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• A report described in the September issue of Molecular Psychiatry identifies the first gene linked to susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). By comparing polymorphisms of the dopamine transporter gene in patients with PTSD and trauma survivors without PTSD, investigators found more mutations in those with the chronic anxiety disorder. Earlier studies suggest that individuals with prior vulnerability are at higher risk for developing PTSD when exposed to trauma, including a large twin study of Vietnam veterans suggesting a significant heritable susceptibility. Although PTSD patients are known to have abnormal biological reactivity of neuroendocrine function and of the autonomic nervous system, the molecular basis is still unknown. These findings suggest that genetically determined changes in dopaminergic reactivity may contribute to the occurrence of PTSD among trauma survivors. Mol Psychiatry. 2002;7:903-907
• Swiss scientists think they have pinpointed the area of the brain where so-called "out-of-body experiences" are triggered. When a hospital team used electrodes to stimulate the brain of a female epilepsy patient during treatment, the woman reported that she felt as though she had left her body and was floating above it. The group produced the phenomenon by stimulating an area in the right cortex of the angular gyrus. The findings are published in the September 19th issue of Nature. Scientists believe that about 10% of people brought back from the brink of death experience something similar, but it has been difficult to prove it actually occurs. The phenomenon has also been reported by some migraine, epilepsy and stroke patients. The scientists believe that the angular gyrus matches up visual information with touch and balance sensations to create the mind's representation of the body. They believe an out-of-body experience may occur when the two do not link up. They did not know why the phenomenon occurs in people who have been near death, but he said it could be due to a lack of oxygen or a malfunction of certain brain regions.
• A longitudinal survey described in the Sept. 11 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association evaluated risk factors associated with prolonged posttraumatic stress after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Surprisingly, risk was not directly associated with the exposure to or loss from the trauma, but rather to use of specific coping strategies. Early disengagement from coping efforts, such as "giving up," self-distraction, or refusing to believe what happened, were the strongest predictors of PTSD symptoms. Pre-existing mental or physical health difficulties or greater exposure to the attacks, including watching television coverage, were also linked to persistent PTSD symptoms. However, disengagement continued to predict poor outcome even after adjustments were made for demographics, pre-Sept. 11 mental and physical health, prior lifetime exposure to stressful events, and severity of exposure to or loss from the attacks. JAMA. 2002;288(10):1235-1244
• The number of Americans who use drugs and alcohol rose sharply last year and teen marijuana use has reached its highest level in more than 20 years, according to national survey figures released by federal health officials. The latest figures show that 7.1% of the US population--nearly 16 million Americans over the age of 12--used illegal drugs like cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy, and painkillers in 2001. Americans used more of each of those drugs than in the year before. About 6.3% of the population were classified as illegal drug users in an identical survey last year.
  The number of American youths using drugs also went up from 7.7% in 2000 to nearly 11% last year. The sharpest rises occurred in the number of Americans using the mood enhancing drug Ecstasy and the often-abused prescription pain medication Oxycontin. Ecstasy use went up 25% between 2000 and 2001 while illegal Oxycontin use shot up nearly 140%. Survey results also show that few persons with drug abuse problems ever seek treatment. An estimated 5 million Americans needed drug treatment but did not get it and that less than 10% of users believe they need help with their drug use. Officials said that they were most disturbed by a resurgence in marijuana use among US teens. Adolescent marijuana use rose sharply in the early 1990's before leveling off in the latter part of the decade. But use among teens was up again last year, with more than 1.6 million 12- to 17-year-olds currently using the drug. Experts blamed the increases on what they said was a widespread American belief that marijuana is a benign drug. Thursday's survey also showed that Americans are becoming more likely to perceive marijuana as not dangerous.
• Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of prevalent and incident depression among older adults. Regular physical activity, such as walking, exercising, swimming, or playing active sports for older adults will reduce the risk of subsequent depression. This benefit is similar for those with and without physical disabilities."The most common form of physical activity is taking long walks, which shows that physical activity does not have to involve elaborate equipment. The investigators note that it is plausible that persons with high levels of physical activity are also more likely to engage in other beneficial health behaviors such as not smoking, avoiding obesity, and not drinking to excess. Am J Epidemiol 2002;156:328-334.
• The efficacy of lithium and divalproex sodium in the treatment of pathological gambling is suggested by results of a preliminary study conducted by investigators in Italy and the US. More than 60% of subjects in both groups achieved scores of very much or much improved on the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale by the end of the trial, investigators report in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. J Clin Psychiatry 2002;73:559-564.
• Stress experienced by the daughters of breast cancer patients may further increase their risk for developing breast cancer, as indicated by measurements of immune function and stress hormones. One of the main immune surveillance mechanisms, namely natural cytotoxic activity against cancer (natural killer-resistant) cells, is severely impaired. This may contribute to the established increased risk of daughters of breast cancer patients to develop breast cancer. Natural cytotoxic activity against natural killer-resistant and natural killer-sensitive cell lines were significantly lower and were augmented much less by in vitro preincubation with interleukin-2 or interleukin-12 among daughters of breast cancer patients compared with controls. The combination of a genetic predisposition together with lifestyle and enduring emotional distress may impair immune surveillance functions in daughters of breast cancer patients and expose them to increased risk of breast cancer onset. Int J Cancer 2002;100:347-354.
• The effects of early childhood abuse appear to last well into the adolescent years, and abused children go on to miss more school and have more emotional and behavioral problems than other children, researchers report. In addition, the abused children had higher levels of aggression, anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder symptoms, social problems and social withdrawal compared with children who were not physically abused. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002;156:824-830.
• Young adult prisoners who consume physiologically adequate amounts of essential nutrients are less likely to engage in antisocial behavior, including violence, than those with inadequate intake. Inmates who received the active supplements committed an average of 26.3% fewer offenses than those who received placebo. The potential implication is that the dietary requirements for good health are also supportive of social behavior.Br J Psych 2002;181:22-28.
• About 70% of US smokers say they would like to stop smoking, but the poor and less educated seem to have a harder time achieving that goal than other groups, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The result is a widening gap between the rich and poor, with the well-off less likely to start smoking and more likely to stop compared with those who are not as well-off. Around 23% of US adults say they are current smokers, according to a 2000 nationwide survey conducted by researchers from the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. The rate of smoking varies widely according to a person's level of education, ranging from 8% among those with graduate degrees to more than 47% of those with a GED diploma. While the rate of smoking is down slightly from the 25% rate seen in 1993, according to the CDC, it is not decreasing fast enough to meet the current health objective: reducing smokers to no more than 12% of the population by 2010. The authors found that 19% of adults said they smoke every day. More men reported being smokers than women, and the rates were highest among Native Americans followed by whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians. The habit is now more common among those with less education, fewer financial resources and less "general opportunities in society" Only 34% of ever smokers with a GED said they had successfully stopped. In contrast, 74.4% of those with graduate degrees had been able to quit. MMWR 2002;51:642-645.

• Treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) during childhood may decrease growth. As the use of such agents is expected to increase in pediatric populations, it is important that larger studies be conducted to verify this finding, the study authors note. Three children demonstrated growth retardation at a pubertal stage when a growth spurt was expected. A decreased growth hormone response to clonidine stimulation was observed in three children, including two whose response to glucagon stimulation was also attenuated. One patient showed decreased 24-hour secretion of growth hormone that normalized after treatment discontinuation. SSRI therapy did not appear to have an effect on serum levels of thyroid hormone or prolactin or on urinary cortisol levels. Larger studies are needed to verify the current findings. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002;156:696-701.

• Conditioning methods and focusing on physical symptoms rather than on psychological problems may be most effective in eating disorders, according to a report in the July 9 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Remission rates were about 75% for patients with either anorexia or bulimia nervosa. After a median of 14.4 months (range, 4.9-26.5 months), 14 patients receiving the treatment and one patient still awaiting treatment went into remission, defined as normal body weight, cessation of binge eating and purging, normal psychiatric profile, normal laboratory studies, normal eating behavior and resumption of social activities.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2002;99(14):9486-9491

• More than half of a cohort of women with HIV seeking medical care in California reported symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), approximately an order of magnitude higher than the reported prevalence rate in the general population of women. Based on responses to the 17-item PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version, 42% were likely to have PTSD, and an additional 22% were likely to have partial PTSD. However, 59% and 78% in these two categories were not receiving any type of  treatment. Reports published in the early 1990s estimated prevalence rates of PTSD between 4.6% and 5.1% for the general population of women. AIDS Patient Care STDs 2002;16:283-291.

• People with high blood pressure who are depressed may be less likely to take their antihypertensive medications than people who are not depressed. Patients who reported frequent depressive symptoms were less likely to comply with their medications than their peers. And noncompliance increased with the increasing severity of depressive symptoms, the researchers note. Depression can have adverse effects on attention, memory and other cognitive abilities that are needed to consistently take medications over time. Finally, depression could cause patients to take poorer care of their health or even intentionally harm themselves. J Gen Intern Med 2002;17:000-000.