Impacts of CIHR-funded research: Mental health and addictions
The answer to quitting smoking may lie in your liver
Research finds liver enzyme affects how easy it is to quit
Overview
People who have lower levels of a liver enzyme called CYP2A6 metabolize nicotine out of their system much more slowly. The faster nicotine is cleared out of your system, the more quickly you crave that next cigarette. As a result, people with low levels of the enzyme find it easier to quit smoking and even respond to smoking cessation medications differently. Dr. Rachel Tyndale of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says that the amount of this liver enzyme that your body produces is genetically determined and varies widely from person to person.
Impact
Identification of the enzyme is a major step forward in the battle against smoking. Using medication to inhibit the CYP2A6 enzyme could prove an effective way to help people stop smoking, while a test to determine enzyme levels could determine whether people would benefit most from nicotine- or non-nicotine-based therapies. Dr. Tyndale is now looking at drug candidates to block the enzyme, as well as tests to identify enzyme levels in different individuals, to better predict which smoking cessation medications they may respond to best.
First Published
Research profile, January 2008; updated 2009
Treating post-traumatic stress disorder
Exposure therapy most effective
Overview
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs after exposure to a terrifying ordeal in which grave physical harm occurs or is threatened, such as violent personal assault, natural disasters or accidents or military combat. Treating PTSD is difficult, but Dr. Gordon Asmundson of the University of Regina has found that exposure therapy – where patients are exposed to prolonged and repeated images of trauma until the images no longer cause anxiety – may be more effective than other methods for treating the disorder.
Impact
Dr. Asmundson and his team continue their work on exposure therapy for PTSD, including delivery of treatment over the internet.
First Published
CIHR Health Research Results, 2003-04; updated 2009
Breaking the pathways of addiction
Discovery prevents brain from remembering pleasure of drugs
Overview
Addiction to drugs involves powerful forces in the brain. Drs. Anthony Phillips and Yu Tian Wang of the University of British Columbia have demonstrated how to prevent the brain from remembering previous pleasurable responses to stimulant drugs such as cocaine. They created a protein fragment (a peptide) that they used to block the chemical communications between brain cells that are necessary for recalling these memories.
Impact
Drs. Wang and Phillips continue to advance in their understanding of the basic biology of the function and mechanism of the peptide in animal models.
First Published
CIHR Health Research Results, 2005-06; updated 2009
Shared care is better care
Family doctors collaborating with mental health professionals provide better outcomes
Overview
People with mental illness get better care if their family doctors work in collaboration with mental health professionals instead of working alone, according to research by Dr. James Irvine of the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council. He found that patients who receive "shared care" suffer fewer symptoms and are more likely to recover or be in remission at follow up. Patients also say they prefer this type of treatment.
Impact
The project resulted in the release and dissemination of a report on shared mental health care that identified ways of improving mental health care among family physicians, mental health professionals, nurses and others. The report aided in the consideration of the inclusion of mental health care into an expanded primary health-care approach, with some health regions incorporating aspects of shared mental health care within their regional primary care plans.
First Published
CIHR Health Research Results, 2003-04; updated 2009
Recognizing risks to seniors' mental health
Guide helps to assess suicide risk, prevent suicide among seniors
Overview
In 2005, Dr. Marnin Heisel of the University of Western Ontario and Dr. Sharon Moore of the University of Rochester worked with the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH) to create Canada's first-ever multidisciplinary, evidence-based Guidelines on the Assessment of Suicide Risk and Prevention of Suicide in seniors.
Impact
The guidelines have been endorsed by multiple organizations and are listed as part of the U.S. Suicide Prevention Resource Centre's Best Practices Registry. The guidelines have led to a brochure called "Suicide Risk and Prevention of Suicide in Older Adults", which is widely used by practitioners to assist them in assessing suicide risk, as well as to tools for use by family members in identifying when someone is at risk. Thousands of copies of the guidelines and associated tools have been distributed electronically and by hard copy.
First Published
Grey Matters, newsletter of the CIHR Institute of Aging, October 2008; updated 2009.
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