Psychobiology Archives - Gateway Psychiatric Excellent Psychiatric Care Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:45:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/favicon2.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Psychobiology Archives - Gateway Psychiatric 32 32 70562394 The Quiet Influence of Light on Mood and Sleep https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/the-quiet-influence-of-light-on-mood-and-sleep/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/the-quiet-influence-of-light-on-mood-and-sleep/#respond Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:45:44 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=23330 Every so often, a patient shares an observation that reminds me how small environmental changes can have a profound impact on mental health. Recently, one of my patients with Bipolar I disorder told me about his experience using a smart lamp—the Philips Hue Twilight—which mimics natural sunrise and sunset light. He wasn’t expecting much when he bought it. What he ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/the-quiet-influence-of-light-on-mood-and-sleep/feed/ 0 23330 Finding Relief Beyond the Pill: Mindfulness Shows Promise for Military with Chronic Pain https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/finding-relief-beyond-the-pill-mindfulness-shows-promise-for-military-with-chronic-pain/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/finding-relief-beyond-the-pill-mindfulness-shows-promise-for-military-with-chronic-pain/#respond Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:32:54 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=22209 Chronic pain and opioid dependence can be a debilitating double whammy for military personnel and veterans. But a recent study offers a beacon of hope: mindfulness training, coupled with therapy techniques, can significantly reduce both pain symptoms and opioid use in this population. The research, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, compared two approaches to treating chronic pain in ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/finding-relief-beyond-the-pill-mindfulness-shows-promise-for-military-with-chronic-pain/feed/ 0 22209 Simple Blood Test May Help Diagnose Bipolar Disorder https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/simple-blood-test-may-help-diagnose-bipolar-disorder/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/simple-blood-test-may-help-diagnose-bipolar-disorder/#respond Wed, 01 Nov 2023 17:59:07 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=21973 Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. It can be a difficult condition to diagnose, as the symptoms can overlap with other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, etcetera. A new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that some day a blood test could help to diagnose bipolar ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/simple-blood-test-may-help-diagnose-bipolar-disorder/feed/ 0 21973 Brain Imaging-Based Biomarker of Depression Identified https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/brain-imaging-based-biomarker-of-depression-identified/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/brain-imaging-based-biomarker-of-depression-identified/#respond Mon, 09 Oct 2023 15:26:04 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=21853 Depre­ssion is a widespread and devastating me­ntal health disorder that impacts millions of individuals across the globe­. It is characterized by enduring fe­elings of sadness and despair, along with alte­rations in appetite, slee­p patterns, and energy le­vels. Despite the­ existence of effective treatme­nts for depression, numerous individuals do not e­xperience improve­ment with these inte­rventions. Additionally, accurately predicting tre­atment response re­mains ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/brain-imaging-based-biomarker-of-depression-identified/feed/ 0 21853 Qi Gong https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/qi-gong/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/qi-gong/#respond Tue, 28 Mar 2023 09:28:58 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=21184 Qi Gong is an ancient Chinese practice that combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. It is said to promote health and well-being by harmonizing the flow of energy, or “qi,” throughout the body. Qi Gong is a safe and gentle practice that can be done by people of all ages and fitness levels. It is a good way to ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/qi-gong/feed/ 0 21184 Breathing, Hyperventilation, Carbon Dioxide and Panic https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/breathing-hyperventilation-carbon-dioxide-and-panic/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/breathing-hyperventilation-carbon-dioxide-and-panic/#respond Fri, 07 Jan 2022 19:29:59 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=19445 How does a panic attack relate to how we are breathing and the level of carbon dioxide and oxygen in our blood, and what is the fundamental flaw in brain programming that makes some of us so vulnerable to panic attacks? I was debriefing with a young woman who took too much of a new medication and ended up in ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/breathing-hyperventilation-carbon-dioxide-and-panic/feed/ 0 19445 Inflammation and Depression – Specific Symptom Cluster https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/inflammation-and-depression-specific-symptom-cluster/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/inflammation-and-depression-specific-symptom-cluster/#respond Tue, 07 Dec 2021 22:42:36 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=19361 A study of 15 population-based cohorts, totalling 56,351 individuals, suggests that there is a correlation between inflammation as measured by elevated  C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and a specific sub-group of symptoms of depression. The inflammation cluster consisted of four physical symptoms: changes in appetite, felt everything was an effort, loss of energy, sleep problems; and one cognitive symptom: little ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/inflammation-and-depression-specific-symptom-cluster/feed/ 0 19361 Family Risk of Bipolar 1 and 2 Disorders and Schizophrenia https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/family-risk-of-bipolar-1-and-2-disorders-and-schizophrenia/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/family-risk-of-bipolar-1-and-2-disorders-and-schizophrenia/#respond Wed, 08 Sep 2021 19:39:03 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=19099 Interesting study out of Taiwan that uses their fairly comprehensive population based data set to look at the relative risk of having different disorders in a family where one parent either has bipolar one or bipolar two disorder. I found this study interesting in that it suggests that bipolar one has a higher genetic loading for any kind of bipolar ...

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]]> https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/family-risk-of-bipolar-1-and-2-disorders-and-schizophrenia/feed/ 0 19099 Limbic and Prefrontal Connectivity and Treatment Selection for Depression https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/limbic-and-prefrontal-connectivity-and-treatment-selection-for-depression/ Thu, 27 Aug 2020 02:00:00 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=12607 Boadie Dunlop, M.D., M.S., and Helen Mayberg, M.D., both of Emory University School of Medicine, and colleagues assessed resting-state functional connectivity between the subcallosal cingulate cortex (SCC) and three other brain regions—the dorsal midbrain, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior insula, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—in 122 patients with depression. The patients were then randomized to 12 weeks of cognitive-behavioral ...

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]]> 12607 Depression Resilience and Neural Connectivity https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/depression-resilience-and-neural-connectivity/ https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/depression-resilience-and-neural-connectivity/#respond Sun, 25 Mar 2018 18:00:53 +0000 https://www.gatewaypsychiatric.com/?p=15041 Much has been written about risk factors for depression but we know less about depression resilience factors. Why do some people at high risk develop depression, while others do not. A study conducted at Stanford by Adina S. Fischer, MD PhD, and colleagues, suggests that increased regulation of limbic areas (the parts of the brain that are most directly involved in ...

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