(Press-News.org) Montreal, November 3, 2010 – Stress may be more hazardous to our mental health than previously believed, according to new research from Concordia University. A series of studies from the institution have found there may be a link between the recent rise in depression rates and the increase of daily stress.
"Major depression has become one of the most pressing health issues in both developing and developed countries," says principal researcher Mark Ellenbogen, a professor at the Concordia Centre for Research in Human Development and a Canada Research Chair in Developmental Psychopathology.
"What is especially alarming is that depression in young people is increasing in successive generations. People are suffering from depression earlier in life and more people are getting it. We want to know why and how. We believe that stress is a major contributor."
From parent to child
Ellenbogen and colleagues are particularly interested in the link between childhood stress and the development of clinical depression and bipolar disorder. His team is evaluating the stress of children who are living in families where one parent is affected by a mood disorder.
"Previous studies have shown that kids from at-risk families are at higher risk of having a psychiatric disorder in their lifetime," says Ellenbogen. "We know that they're not just inheriting these traits but they are also being raised in environment that is stressful, chaotic and lacking in structure. Our goal is to tease out how this type of environment influences these children's mental health in adolescence and adulthood."
Cortisol, the stress hormone
To assess stress levels, Ellenbogen is measuring the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol present in the children's saliva. Cortisol is a hormone that is produced by the body in response to stressful life events and challenges.
Ellenbogen's recent findings have shown that the adolescent offspring of at-risk families have higher salivary cortisol levels than kids from families without disorders. What's more, he found these elevated levels persist into young adulthood.
"Although there may be many causes to the rise in cortisol, this increase may be in part due to exposure to family stress and parenting style," says Ellenbogen. "We have not yet confirmed that these children then go on to develop mood disorders of their own. However, we have some exciting preliminary data showing that high cortisol levels in adolescences doubles your risk for developing a serious mood disorder in young adulthood."
INFORMATION:
Dr. Ellenbogen will present the lecture, "When Good Hormones go Bad: Stress, Cortisol and the Affective Disorders," on Wednesday, November 10, at 3 p.m. at the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital, Amphitheatre, 4333 Chemin de la Cote Sainte-Catherine.
Partners in research:
These research projects are funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Related links:
Concordia University: www.concordia.ca
Concordia Centre for Research in Human Development: http://crdh.concordia.ca/homee.html
Cited Mark Ellenbogen research: http://www.medwire-news.md/47/86311/Psychiatry/Cortisol_levels_persistently_elevated_in_offspring_of_parents_with_bipolar_disorder.html
Media contact:
Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins
Senior advisor, media relations
University Communications Services
Concordia University
Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 5068
Email: s-j.desjardins@concordia.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/concordianews
Concordia news: http://now.concordia.ca
Does adolescent stress lead to mood disorders in adulthood?
Concordia researcher investigates the link between an early stressful environment, hormones and mental disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder
2010-11-04
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Electrons get confused
2010-11-04
Scientists from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) observed exotic behaviour from beryllium oxide (BeO) when they bombarded it with high-speed heavy ions: After being shot in this way, the electrons in the BeO appeared "confused", and seemed to completely forget the material properties of their environment. The researchers' measurements show changes in the electronic structure that can be explained by extremely rapid melting around the firing line of the heavy ions. If this interpretation is correct, then this would have to be the fastest melting ever observed. The researchers ...
Levels of coumarin in cassia cinnamon vary greatly even in bark from the same tree
2010-11-04
A "huge" variation exists in the amounts of coumarin in bark samples of cassia cinnamon from trees growing in Indonesia, scientists are reporting in a new study. That natural ingredient in the spice may carry a theoretical risk of causing liver damage in a small number of sensitive people who consume large amounts of cinnamon. The report appears in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Friederike Woehrlin and colleagues note that cinnamon is the second most popular spice, next to black pepper, in the United States and Europe. Cinnamon, which comes ...
Small materials poised for big impact in construction
2010-11-04
Bricks, blocks, and steel I-beams — step aside. A new genre of construction materials, made from stuff barely 1/50,000th the width of a human hair, is about to debut in the building of homes, offices, bridges, and other structures. And a new report is highlighting both the potential benefits of these nanomaterials in improving construction materials and the need for guidelines to regulate their use and disposal. The report appears in the monthly journal ACS Nano.
Pedro Alvarez and colleagues note that nanomaterials likely will have a greater impact on the construction ...
Transparent conductive material could lead to power-generating windows
2010-11-04
UPTON, NY - Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory have fabricated transparent thin films capable of absorbing light and generating electric charge over a relatively large area. The material, described in the journal Chemistry of Materials, could be used to develop transparent solar panels or even windows that absorb solar energy to generate electricity.
The material consists of a semiconducting polymer doped with carbon-rich fullerenes. Under carefully controlled conditions, the material self-assembles ...
Video-game technology may speed development of new drugs
2010-11-04
Parents may frown upon video games, but the technology used in the wildly popular games is quietly fostering a revolution in speeding the development of new products and potentially life-saving drugs. That's the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
C&EN Associate Editor Lauren K. Wolf notes that consumer demand for life-like avatars and interactive scenery has pushed computer firms to develop inexpensive yet sophisticated graphics hardware called graphics processing units, or GPUs. The graphical units ...
PET scans reveal estrogen-producing hotspots in human brain
2010-11-04
UPTON, NY - A study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has demonstrated that a molecule "tagged" with a radioactive form of carbon can be used to image aromatase, an enzyme responsible for the production of estrogen, in the human brain. The research, published in the November issue of Synapse, also uncovered that the regions of the brain where aromatase is concentrated may be unique to humans.
"The original purpose of the study was to expand our use of this radiotracer, N-methyl-11C vorozole," said Anat Biegon, a Brookhaven neurobiologist. ...
Scientists develop method to keep surgically-removed prostate tissue alive and 'working' for week
2010-11-04
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, University of Helsinki and Stanford University have developed a technique to keep normal and cancerous prostate tissue removed during surgery alive and functioning normally in the laboratory for up to a week.
The new technique could not only enhance research of prostate biology and cancer, but also hasten the creation of individualized medicines for prostate cancer patients, the investigators say. Previous attempts to culture live prostate tissues resulted in poor viability and lost "tissue architecture," the researchers ...
Rice U. study looks at marketing benefits, pitfalls of customer-satisfaction surveys
2010-11-04
Though designed to enhance customer experiences, post-service customer surveys might actually harm a business's relationships with consumers, according to new research by Rice University professors. The research team found that customers who participate in firm-sponsored surveys delay doing repeat business with that company.
The study finds companies that use immediate follow-up customer surveys or multiple follow-up surveys may open themselves to negative consequences because customers who were satisfied with the specific service they received may jump to the conclusion ...
Multifocal contact lenses may reduce vision for night driving
2010-11-04
A new study suggests that older adults who wear multifocal contact lenses to correct problems with near vision, a very common condition that increases with age, may have greater difficulty driving at night than their counterparts who wear glasses. Age-related problems with near vision, medically termed presbyopia, usually occurs after the age of 40 and results in the inability to focus on objects up close.
According to an article published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science ("The Effect of Presbyopic Vision Corrections on Nighttime Driving Performance"), ...
University of Illinois researchers discover potential new virus in switchgrass
2010-11-04
University of Illinois researchers have confirmed the first report of a potential new virus belonging to the genus Marafivirus in switchgrass, a biomass crop being evaluated for commercial cellulosic ethanol production.
The virus is associated with mosaic and yellow streak symptoms on switchgrass leaves. This virus has the potential of reducing photosynthesis and decreasing biomass yield. Members of this genus have been known to cause severe yield losses in other crops. For example, Maize rayado fino virus (MRFV), a type member of the genus, has been reported to cause ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Korea University study identifies age 70 as cutoff for chemotherapy benefit in colorectal cancer
Study explores brain cell communication called ‘crosstalk’
4 beer and wine discoveries
Massage Therapy Foundation awards $299,465 research grant to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Chung-Ang University develops chloride-resistant Ru nanocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production from seawater
Afghanistan’s August 2025 earthquake reveals the cost of international isolation, UN scientists warn
Shortlist announced for Panmure House Prize
Small nuclear RNA base editing a safer alternative to CRISPR, UC San Diego researchers find
Can Hayabusa2 touchdown? New study reveals space mission’s target asteroid is tinier and faster than thought
Millisecond windows of time may be key to how we hear, study finds
Graz University of Technology opens up new avenues in lung cancer research with digital cell twin
Exoplanets are not water worlds
Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices
New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism
A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?
New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair
Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network
iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis
New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey
QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power
Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health
Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world
Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on
A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice
ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle
Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air
GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients
Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds
Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity
[Press-News.org] Does adolescent stress lead to mood disorders in adulthood?Concordia researcher investigates the link between an early stressful environment, hormones and mental disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder