U.S. National Institutes of Health

NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit the http://www.nih.gov.

Fear Circuit Flares as Bipolar Youth Misread Faces

Youth with bipolar disorder misread facial expressions as hostile and show heightened neural reactions when they focus on emotional aspects of neutral faces, researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered. The study provides some of the first clues to the underlying workings of the episodes of mania and depression that disrupt friendships, school, and family life in up to one percent of children.

Withdrawal drug offers relief for Crohn’s sufferers

A pilot study suggests that a drug used to ease symptoms of alcohol and drug addiction may also bring relief to people with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine that affects an estimated 500,000 Americans.

Epstein-Barr Virus Might Kick-Start Multiple Sclerosis

Researchers have found that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) carry a population of immune cells that overreact to Epstein-Barr virus. The virus, which causes mononucleosis and may contribute to some cancers, has long been suspected to play a role in MS. However, the mechanism linking the virus to the disease was poorly understood.

Volunteers to Start Getting HIV Vaccine

A new human clinical trial will begin this month at several sites around the country testing both components of an HIV/AIDS vaccine developed by a team of researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University, GeoVax, Inc., and the Emory Vaccine Center, along with colleagues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

U.S. flu spread based largely on work commute

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conclude that the regional spread of annual influenza epidemics throughout the United States is more closely connected with rates of movement of people to and from work than with geographical distance or air travels. They also found that epidemics spread faster between more populous locations.

Caring for the mega-injured

If someone is injured in an automobile collision or is severely burned, emergency room physicians across the country would probably take similar steps to stabilize each condition. But subsequent treatment in the intensive care unit or operating room is less well established and may vary significantly. That is likely to change.

Study reveals new genes for excessive alcohol drinking

Researchers have identified new genes that may contribute to excessive alcohol consumption. The new study, conducted with strains of animals that have either a high or low innate preference for alcohol, provides clues about the molecular mechanisms that underlie the tendency to drink heavily.

Blind Mice Recover Visual Responses Using Protein from Green Algae

Nerve cells that normally are not light sensitive in the retinas of blind mice can respond to light when a green algae protein called channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) is inserted into the cell membranes, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported study published in the April 6, 2006 issue of the journal Neuron. The study was conducted with mice that had been genetically bred to lose rods and cones, the light-sensitive cells in the retina. This condition is similar to the blinding disease retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in humans.

Aggression-related gene weakens brain’s impulse control circuits

A version of a gene previously linked to impulsive violence appears to weaken brain circuits that regulate impulses, emotional memory and thinking in humans, researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have found. Brain scans revealed that people with this version – especially males – tended to have relatively smaller emotion-related brain structures, a hyperactive alarm center and under-active impulse control circuitry.

Avian flu bug *that* close to human transmission

The H5N1 avian influenza virus, commonly known as “bird flu,” is a highly contagious and deadly disease in poultry. So far, its spread to humans has been limited, with 177 documented severe infections, and nearly 100 deaths in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Iraq, and Turkey as of March 14, 2006. But researchers at Scripps Research Institute say few adaptations are needed to transform it into a potential pandemic virus.

Smoking, booze abuse may be tied to same genes

Vulnerability to both alcohol and nicotine abuse may be influenced by the same genetic factor, according to a recent study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health

Gene influences antidepressant response

Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has discovered. Having two copies of one version of a gene that codes for a component of the brain’s mood-regulating system increased the odds of a favorable response to an antidepressant by up to 18 percent, compared to having two copies of the other, more common version.

Study Links Diet Quality with Alcohol Drinking Patterns

Unhealthy alcohol drinking patterns may go hand-in-hand with unhealthy eating habits, according to a new study. Examining diet quality of individuals who drink any kind of alcoholic beverage, researchers found that people who drink the largest quantities of alcohol — even infrequently — have the poorest quality diets.

Heart health tied to brain health as we age

Heart health risk factors and lifestyle choices, such as exercise, learning new things and staying socially connected, are associated with maintaining brain health as we age according to a new report from a multi-Institute collaboration of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published online today in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.