HealthDay (2/6) reports that according to research published in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Sleep, “too much or too little sleep can increase the risk of depression.” One study, which involved some 1,700 adult twins, found that “inappropriate amounts of sleep may activate depression-related genes.” The second study, which involved some 4,100 children ranging in age from 11 to 17, revealed that “sleeping six hours or less per night increased their risk for major depression, which in turn increased their risk for too little sleep.”

Related Links:

— “Risk of Depression May Rise With Too Much or Too Little Sleep, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 5, 2014.

The Los Angeles Times (2/5, Mohan) “Science Now” blog reports, “Memory can be altered by new experience, and isn’t nearly as accurate as courtroom testimony might have us believe,” according to a study published online Feb. 4 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

USA Today (2/5, Weintraub) reports, “Using brain scans of 17 healthy volunteers as they were taught new data and recalled previously learned information,” researchers demonstrated “for the first time precisely when and where new information gets implanted into existing memories.” They found that when people recall “an old memory, the bits of information get melded with new bits relevant to [one’s] present life.” In other words, memories can be modified when retrieved.

Related Links:

— “Remembrance or revision? Brain study shows memory misleads, “Geoffrey Mohan, Los Angeles Times, February 4, 2014.

On its front page, the New York Times (2/5, A1, Kaufman, Subscription Publication) reports in a 1,200-word article that crisis hotlines have adopted texting as a means to communicate with callers, particularly with those aged under 20. Hotline centers have found that texting offers privacy. Callers can contact the center when a caller feels threatened by somebody nearby, and staff members can deal with multiple callers at once or “introduce experts into a conversation without transferring or placing a caller on hold.” Conversational records also exist, allowing staff members to refer to discussions that took place earlier if necessary. Organizations such as the National Dating Abuse Helpline and National Human Trafficking Resource Center have already adopted this means of communication.

Related Links:

— “In Texting Era, Crisis Hotlines Put Help at Youths’ Fingertips, “Leslie Kaufman, The New York Times, February 4, 2014.

The AP (2/4, Jelinek) reports that according to an Army report released yesterday, US soldiers “had higher morale and suffered fewer mental health problems in Afghanistan last year as they handed off more duties to Afghans and saw less combat themselves.” The report, which was “drawn from a battlefield survey and interviews in June and July,” found that “rates of soldiers with depression, anxiety and acute stress – as well as tendencies toward suicide – were lower than in the most recent previous surveys.”

USA Today (2/4, Zoroya) reports that the study found that “the more times a soldier is deployed, the greater the likelihood he or she will suffer from mental illness.” The study also concluded that “the stigma against seeking mental health help remains,” with nearly half “of the surveyed soldiers who need therapy” saying that “the perception of weakness discouraged them from seeking help.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Less war improves mental health of soldiers, “Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, February 3, 2014.

Roll Call (2/4, Attias, Subscription Publication) reports that some advocates for patients with Alzheimer’s and their families are “lining up behind the idea of establishing a global fund for Alzheimer’s modeled after international efforts to address HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.” Currently, Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) “is putting together a bill that would seek to establish such a fund, which he hopes to bring forward in a few weeks.” Meanwhile, contained within the recently passed omnibus spending bill was an appropriation for $1.2 billion for the National Institute on Aging. In a statement that went along with the bill, “appropriators said they expect a ‘significant portion’ of the boost to go toward research on Alzheimer’s, leaving the specific amount to the agency to avoid what they described as politicizing the peer review system.”

Related Links:

— “Alzheimer’s Advocates Fight for Piece of Research Pie, “Melissa Attias, Roll Call, February 3, 2014.