Schizophrenia can be frightening and life-changing. Common symptoms such as disorganized thinking and speech, lack of expressive emotion, social withdrawal, neglect of self-care, hallucinations and delusions alienate individuals with schizophrenia from others and create barriers to day-to-day functioning in society.
Dementia Rates Increased With Serious Mental Illness
Because VHA provides a continuum of care over the life course, the healthcare system has need to better understand what effect bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have on veterans’ risk of dementia.
Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Linked to Brain Atrophy
MADISON, WI—While the association of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage with development of dementia and cognitive decline in older adults is not well known, a new study suggested that identifying risk factors for brain atrophy can help direct new approached to...
Parkinson’s Disease Itself Might Be Linked to Impulse Control Disorders
PHILADELPHIA —Impulse control disorders, including compulsive gambling, buying, sexual and eating behaviors are thought to occur in as many as 20% of Parkinson’s disease patients over the course of their illness. A study in the European Journal of Neurology sought to...
Discovery of GWI Brain Inflammation Could Lead to New Treatments
BOSTON—New research holds out promising for identifying and developing new therapies for veterans with Gulf War Illness. A report in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity discussed the discovery of widespread inflammation in the brains of patients diagnosed with...
With Obesity, Moderate Hyperglycemia Hastens Cognitive Decline
PITTSBURGH —What precisely is the relationship between cognitive decline in patients with both diabetes and obesity? Researchers from the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh sought to investigate the potential mechanisms leading to those...
What Is the Relationship Between Parkinson’s Psychosis, Treatment?
LONDON, UK – For years, common treatments -- levodopa and dopamine agonists (dopamine replacement therapy [DRT]) – have been implicated in Parkinson's disease psychosis. A report published in Movement Disorder Clinical Practice pointed out that the relationship...
Study Finding Could Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Earlier
SAN DIEGO — People who were diagnosed as having “objectively-defined subtle cognitive difficulties” appeared to accumulate amyloid more quickly than those deemed cognitively normal, according to a new study. That information could potentially improve early detection...
Balance Disorder Expert Works to Fill Growing Medical Need for Veterans
CLEVELAND — Aasef Shaikh, MD, PhD, grew up in India as the son of two ENT surgeons, which he credits for his early interest in understanding the system that helps humans keep their balance.
Successful PTSD Treatment Halves Diabetes Risk for Veterans
LOUIS—Improving post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, a laudable goal itself, has the added benefit of lowering patients’ risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report. A cohort study by Jeffrey Scherrer, PhD, professor of family and community...
New Comprehensive VA/DoD Guideline Seeks to Stem Tide of Suicides
Servicemembers, Veterans Take Their Own Lives at Higher Rates
WASHINGTON—In recent decades, suicide rates have soared in the United States, increasing 25% from 1999 to 2016.
The issue has been especially acute among military servicemembers and veterans.
Researcher’s Focus on Walking Helps Improve Health, Safety of Veterans
GAINESVILLE, FL — When people want to describe themselves as uncoordinated, they might say they have trouble walking and chewing gum at the same time. However, the act of walking—one of the most basic human skills—is not nearly as simple as that phrase makes it sound.
VA Expands Parkinson’s Disease Services to Improve Patient Care
PHILADELPHIA—Building on the success of the Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers, established in 2001, the VA has expanded care for the nearly 100,000 veterans affected by the neurodegenerative disease through the creation of the National VA Parkinson’s Disease Consortium.
Monitor Veterans with Any Level of TBI for Parkinson’s Disease
SAN FRANCISCO—Traumatic brain injury has been called the “signature injury” of recent conflicts, with the DoD reporting nearly 384,000 TBIs sustained between 2000 and the first quarter of 2018.
Therapy Advances Help Veterans Manage Parkinson’s Disease ‘Off Episodes’
PHILADELPHIA—For five decades, physicians have used carbidopa/levodopa to treat the rigidity, tremors and slowed movement associated with Parkinson’s disease.
Treatment for Hepatitis C Might Lower the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease
WASHINGTON – In a case of welcome unintended consequences, the VA might be lowering the risk of Parkinson’s disease by treating another common condition: hepatitis C virus.
Court Ruling, New Law Support ‘Blue Water Veterans’ with Parkinson’s Disease
WASHINGTON—A recent political development, more than 50 years in the coming, has the potential to significantly change who receives benefits for Parkinson’s disease through the VA.
Veterans With PNES Have Lower QoL vs. Other Seizures
PORTLAND, OR—Do seizure disorders affect veterans differently than patients who have never been in the U.S. military? And does the type of seizure matter? A study published in Epilepsy & Behavior examined those issues.1 VA researchers from Portland, OR;...