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Psychiatry
Two-and-a-half decades of research in Malawi
Two-and-a-half decades of research in Malawi
As the country’s life expectancy has risen, the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health has shifted its current and future research to aging.
Habit circuits altered in brains of individuals with binge eating disorders
Habit circuits altered in brains of individuals with binge eating disorders
New Penn Medicine research finds that altered connectivity may make patients more vulnerable to develop binge eating disorders, and lead to stronger-developed habit circuits.
Study links air pollution, heat, carbon dioxide, and noise to reduced sleep
Study links air pollution, heat, carbon dioxide, and noise to reduced sleep
Researchers from Penn Medicine find a drop in sleep efficiency from high exposures to these environmental factors.
Restricted abortion access linked to increased suicide risk in young women
Restricted abortion access linked to increased suicide risk in young women
Research from the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia determined that this association exists for women of reproductive age, findings that hold potential clinical, policy, and ethical implications.
Managing mental health amid gun violence
Managing mental health amid gun violence
In 2021, Philadelphia saw a record number of 486 homicides by shooting as well 1,846 non-fatal shootings. According to clinical psychologist Leah Blain, exposure to trauma, including to gun violence, increases the risk of negative health outcomes.
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
In research done using rats, Penn Nursing’s Heath Schmidt and colleagues found that males that engaged in voluntary nicotine use had offspring more likely to do so, too. Some offspring also developed impaired memory and anxiety-like behavior.
Inflammation is not always linked to depression
Inflammation is not always linked to depression
A new Penn Medicine study finds that late-life depression is not linked to inflammation when other inflammatory conditions are excluded, but that depression occurs independently of inflammation.
The pandemic’s psychological scars
The pandemic’s psychological scars
It’s been a long and uncertain road, with some groups shouldering a disproportionately greater burden of mental anguish from COVID-19. Yet now there’s a glimmer of hope. Has the page finally turned?
Hospitalizations for eating disorder increased during pandemic
Hospitalizations for eating disorder increased during pandemic
Researchers can’t yet pinpoint definitive reasons, though they surmise it was a combination of factors, including stress, an outsized focus on weight gain and personal appearance, and maybe even symptoms of COVID-19 itself.
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
Research from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia points to the involvement of the immune system the brain as a contributor to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
In the News
The Washington Post
Americans are sleeping more than ever. See how you compare
Mathias Basner of the Perelman School of Medicine says that work and traveling are the major sleep killers, with the majority of traveling being commuting to and from work.
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Newsweek
Man does DNA test, not prepared for what comes back ‘unusually high’
César de la Fuente of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Perelman School of Medicine says that Neanderthal DNA provides insights into human evolution, population dynamics, and genetic adaptations, including correlations with traits such as immunity and susceptibility to diseases.
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Everyday Health
What is food noise and how do you get rid of it?
According to Thomas Wadden of the Perelman School of Medicine, people taking GLP-1 drugs are finding that daily experiences that used to trigger a compulsion to eat or think about food no longer have that effect.
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The New York Times
Why are older Americans drinking so much?
David Oslin of the Perelman School of Medicine says that alcohol use can have much more disastrous consequences for older adults, whose bodies cannot process it as quickly.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Philadelphia hospital program adds psychologists to bridge mental health services for trauma survivors
A new psychology team at the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program has provided about 46 survivors with short- and long- term therapy, featuring remarks from Elinore Kaufman and Lily Brown of the Perelman School of Medicine.
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National Geographic
This day of silence brings a fresh start for Bali’s new year
Mathias Basner of the Perelman School of Medicine says that human bodies interpret noise as a stressor, which can initiate increased levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in the blood.
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