HealthDay (7/27, Preidt) reports, “Changes that occur in teens’ brains as they mature may help explain why the first signs of mental illness tend to appear during this time,” a magnetic resonance imaging scan study suggests. Investigators found not only that the “cortex becomes thinner” as adolescents grow older, but also that “the brain regions that undergo the greatest changes during the teen years are also where genes associated with schizophrenia risk are most strongly expressed.” The findings of the nearly 300-participant study were published July 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Related Links:

— “Study of Teen Brains Offers Clues to Timing of Mental Illness,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 27, 2016.

The New York Times (7/26, A9, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports, “The World Health Organization is moving toward declassifying transgender identity as a mental disorder in its global list of medical conditions.” This comes as “a new study lend[s] additional support to a proposal that would delete the decades-old designation.”

The Times adds that “in the fifth and most recent edition,” the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, “the designation was changed to ‘gender dysphoria,’ and was defined to apply to only those transgender people who are experiencing distress or dysfunction, said” psychiatrist Jack Drescher, MD, a “psychoanalyst at New York Medical College, who serves on the WHO working group and served on a similar working group for the DSM-5.”

Related Links:

— “W.H.O. Weighs Dropping Transgender Identity From List of Mental Disorders,” PAM BELLUCK, New York Times, July 26, 2016.

The Washington Post (7/27, Love) reports a new study indicates a type of computer game “could decrease the risk of symptoms of dementia by almost half, compared to not having any brain training at all.” The findings are still being reviewed, so they are considered preliminary.

This type of game is known as “a speed-of-processing task,” which is “one of three types of cognitive training that 2800 people took part in during The Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study, a randomized longitudinal study funded by NIH” in 2014.

The Post adds that “even with this compelling ACTIVE data analysis, researchers are hesitant to accept the findings right away,” because “the 2014 ACTIVE study wasn’t designed to track dementia, Jonathan King” said. King “was the project director and co-author of the 2014 study and is a program director at the National Institute on Aging.”

Related Links:

— “Could this computer game delay Alzheimer’s symptoms? New study suggests it could.,” Shayla Love, Washington Post, July 27, 2016.

The ABC News (7/26, Mohan-Sivasankar) website reports that “men with Alzheimer’s” may have “atypical symptoms” and may be “younger at diagnosis,” research suggests. What’s more, physicians “may be able to screen men for Alzheimer’s at even younger ages,” investigators posit. The findings of the 1,606-brain study were presented July 26 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2016.

In “Social Issues,” the Washington Post (7/26, Bahrampour) reports that the study “also found that the disease attacks different areas of the brain in men and women.” In males, Alzheimer’s “spreads more quickly and more commonly attacks the cortex, which is responsible for behavior, language, and motor skills,” whereas in females, “the spread is slower and the disease more typically attacks the hippocampus, leading to memory problems.”

Related Links:

— “Alzheimer’s May Affect More Men Than Previously Thought, Researchers Say,” DR. SHYAM MOHAN-SIVASANKAR, ABC News, July 26, 2016.

HealthDay (7/25, Preidt) reports, “People with bipolar disorder [BD] may face a long wait from when their symptoms start to the time they get a proper diagnosis,” research indicates. On average, the delay “is six years.” The findings of the 27-study meta-analysis encompassing some 9,400 patients were published July 25 in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Bipolar Diagnosis May Take Up to 6 Years,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 25, 2016.