Springer Nature

One system which is thought to falter in preterm neonates is the cerebrovascular autoregulatory system, which helps to maintain a constant supply of oxygen to the brain. When this system falters in the setting of hypotension, it can lead to intraventricular haemorrhage, which in turn, can lead to serious neuro-developmental impairment.

In this episode, we meet Zachary Vesoulis, a Pediatrician at Washington University in St. Louis, who recently published a Pediatric Research paper testing the effects of gestational age on the cerebrovascular autoregulatory system. We also discuss what Zach sees as a missed opportunity to collect data in the clinic.

Article link:

https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2017196

It has been known for over 20 years that antidepressant exposure in utero may be associated with poor neonatal adaptation and discontinuation like symptoms in neonates. Poor neonatal adaptation syndrome, or 'PNAS' presents as a distinct set of gastrointestinal, neurological and respiratory symptoms. In this episode we meet Professor Megan Galbally, Foundation Chair in Perinatal Psychiatry at the University of Notre Dame, to discuss her recent Pediatric Research paper examining the use of the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System in assessing neonates exposed to antidepressants in utero and providing some rare long-term follow up of these children's developmental outcomes at 6 months. We also discuss a commentary article from the Pediatric Policy Council on this topic, and how her study can be expanded upon by following these results further with the children, preferably up to adulthood.

Article links:

Neonatal adaptation following intrauterine antidepressant exposure: assessment, drug assay levels, and infant development outcomes

https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2017156

Influences of medications on the developing fetus: toward deciphering the unknowns

https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2017199

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The current state of funded NIH grants in implementation science in genomic medicine: a portfolio analysis

https://www.nature.com/articles/gim2017180

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Origin and clinical relevance of chromosomal aberrations other than the common trisomies detected by genome-wide NIPS: results of the TRIDENT study

https://www.nature.com/articles/gim2017132

The 2018 issue of Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, "Cannabis and Cannabinoids: From Synapse to Society," showcases the remarkable advances in the biology of cannabinoids and cannabis in the past two decades, ranging from their impact at the synaptic level through to public health.

Edited by Margaret Haney and Matthew N Hill, this issue represents current findings across several major research areas, contributing novel insights into psychiatric illness treatment and a data-driven perspective relevant to public policy changes occurring worldwide.

Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews: http://www.nature.com/nppr/index.html

Veerajalandhar Allareddy is a pediatric cardiac critical care physician in the Stead Family Children's Hospital, University of Iowa. In recent years, he has become interested in marrying his clinical work with studies into public health issues in pediatrics, which he believes are under researched and under reported.

In this episode we discuss one such issue: the rising trend of opioid abuse in children across the US.

Article link: https://www.nature.com/articles/pr2017169

Many people who exercise regularly have experienced a so-called "runner's high," either a feeling of euphoria after exercise, or a feeling of happiness and well-being. Scientists have studied this and found that exercise does indeed improve mood and combat stress, for instance, but researchers at Finland's University of Turku wanted to know: Are endorphins being produced in and thus affecting the brain? To try to answer this question, the team labeled a drug that can bind to endorphin receptors in the brain and compete with endogenous endorphins. So if the study subjects were producing endorphins in the brain, the drug binding should be reduced. Listen to Neuropsychopharmacology's latest podcast to learn more!

Article: Opioid Release after High-Intensity Interval Training in Healthy Human Subjects

https://www.nature.com/articles/npp2017148

Studies have shown that stress and trauma early in life can lead to an increased risk for drug addiction later in life. In rat models developed to mimic and study this effect, some rats received normal maternal care, while others received enriched maternal care - extra grooming and attention from their mothers. Those with enriched maternal care have been shown to be less likely to return to a room in which the rats received a dose of morphine. But does that accurately represent drug use? They've also been shown to have neurological changes in the brain - but these changes have been correlational. A new study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology was set up to tease out a number of aspects of this research.

Article: Opioid Self-Administration is Attenuated by Early-Life Experience and Gene Therapy for Anti-Inflammatory IL-10 in the Nucleus Accumbens of Male Rats

https://www.nature.com/articles/npp201782

Related articles:

Clinical penetrance in hereditary hemochromatosis: estimates of the cumulative incidence of severe liver disease among HFE C282Y homozygotes

https://www.nature.com/articles/gim2017121

Recommending inclusion of HFE C282Y homozygotes in the ACMG actionable gene list: cop-out or stealth move toward population screening?

https://www.nature.com/articles/gim2017161

Related articles:

Genomic diagnostics within a medically underserved population: efficacy and implications

https://www.nature.com/gim/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/gim201776a.html

Racial/ethnic differences in multiple-gene sequencing results for hereditary cancer risk

https://www.nature.com/gim/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/gim201796a.html