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Examine the Relationship between Biological Factors and the Brain across

the Life Span, As Illustrated By Neurodevelopmental and

Neurodegenerative Disorders

Dr. Nancy Agens, Head,

Technical Operations, Pubrica

sales@pubrica.com

In Brief

Neuropsychiatry has always been a

mystery area with researchers, all over

the world, trying to understand affective,

behavioural characteristics and mental

illnesses. Research is often limited by the

complex structure and function of the

brain, difficulty in imaging techniques

and access to direct tissue for

pathophysiological studies. However,

recent times have seen a impressive

improvement in the understanding of

these neuropsychiatric disorders, most of

which can be explained by an interplay

between genetic, environmental, and

biological factors. Video abstract services

convert the research in the form of an

audio-video format that is engaging,

accessible, and increases the chances of

getting accepted by the scientific

publishing community.

Keywords: Medical Video Abstracts

Services, Video creation service, video

development services, Video Abstract for

Your Research, video abstract, video

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I. BRAIN – A COMPLEX ORGAN

The human brain is an extremely complex

organ and understanding its functioning

has always been a mystery and hence a

field of research for the curious researcher.

Genetics and environment have both

known to influence the outcome of the

person; however, the extent to which each

factor affects the outcome is not

completely understood. The nature and

nurture influence on the human brain is a

mystery and debates continue to

understand conclusively the same.

The brain is highly sensitive and receptive

to biological and environmental factors

especially in the prenatal and early

childhood as the neural pathways are being

formed and these factors along with

genetic makeup decide experiential

learning pathways that guide an individual

throughout his or her life.

II. BIOLOGICAL FACTORS AND

MENTAL ILLNESS

Biological factors are internal factors and

range from genetic to chemical, physical,

physiological, nutritional, hormonal, and

neurological, gender etc. It is studied that

about half of the mental illnesses would

have had their onset by 14 years of age and

three quarters by the time one is 24 years,

and this then persists through

adulthood.Neuropsychiatric illnesses are a

major cause of disease burden affecting

productive adult life and is the most

common cause of disease burden in the

young. In spite of this, mental illnesses are

neglected and underfunded area of

research.

Several mental illnesses are linked to

disturbances in the functioning of neural

circuits and imbalance in

neurotransmitters. By influencing the

levels of neurotransmitters through

medications, psychiatrists attempt to

manage the symptoms of mental illnesses

by influencing the neural pathways.

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The following are known biological

factors that are antecedent to the

expression of mental illnesses:-

1. Genetics – The fact that mental

illnesses show hereditary pattern,

prove that there is a strong genetic

component for the causation of these

illnesses. They are usually involving

several genes that increase

susceptibility to a mental disease that

is triggered by environmental

exposures. Serotonin or 5-HT is an

important neurotransmitter that affects

mood. Genetic polymorphisms in

serotonin receptor (SERT),

corticotrophin releasing hormone

receptor (CRH-R) and brain-derived

neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increase

vulnerability to childhood depression

when exposed to stressors.

2. Infections –An example is the

paediatric autoimmune

neuropsychiatric disorder (PANDAS)

caused by Streptococcal infection is

linked to development of obsessive-

compulsive disorder (OCD) in

children.

3. Brain injury and prenatal damage –

Brain defects and injury are associated

with development of mental disease,

while prenatal asphyxiation and injury

can result in autism.

4. Substance abuse - long term substance

abuse is associated with anxiety,

depression, and paranoia.

5. Nutrition – malnutrition results in

mental illness.

III. SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR

DISORDER

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychotic

illness that affects the young making them

unable to lead a normal life. Today, we

have convincing evidence to suggest that

Schizophrenia starts as a

neurodevelopmental anomaly in the

background of predisposing genetic

features. The condition worsens with the

neurodegeneration that occurs with age,

making it a progressive illness. Similar

evidences are available to suggest that

bipolar disorder is also a

neurodevelopmental disorder triggering a

genetic condition and worsened by

neurodegeneration that occurs with age.

Memory disturbances and prefrontal cortex

damage associated with cognitive

impairment and brain damage are noted in

neurodegeneration as well as

schizophrenia / bipolar disorder.

IV. RESEARCH IN

NEUROPSYCHIATRY

The increasing numbers of papers and

articles that are in line for publication in

neuropsychiatry is alarming and often

journals miss out relevant topics during

their process of screening. To enable this,

medical video abstract services make a

small 2-3 minute video summarising the

output of the research. Medical writing

services are well-accepted in the scientific

community considering the time constraint

in publication business. Video creation

service is another step in this direction to

facilitate the process of acceptance of

research paper by the publishing journal. A

video abstract for the research keeps the

attention of the reader by audio-visual

aids. Complex areas involved in

neuropsychiatry i.e. the brain anatomy,

imaging, electroencephalogram tracings,

genetic alterations, etc, can be better

visualised by video abstract creation using

high-definition animation and imagery. In

short, video creation service for research

narrate the story of your research in the

form of a video abstract or abstract video.

V. CONCLUSION

Vast amount of research has enabled our

understanding of the various biological

factors involved in mood, behaviour, and

mental illness manifestation and

tremendous amount of research is still

going on to identify more such factors and

the interplay between them. This

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understanding will help pharmaceuticals to

develop targeted therapy to improve

outcome and minimize side effects,

thereby improving the productivity and

quality of life of the young adults. Video

development services convert your

research abstract into an engaging abstract

video that is accessible and easily shared

on websites and social media extending the

visibility of the research.

REFERENCES

1. Spenrath, M. A., Clarke, M. E., & Kutcher, S.

(2011). The science of brain and biological

development: implications for mental health

research, practice and policy. Journal of the

Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academiecanadienne de

psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, 20(4), 298–

304.

2. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions

of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity

Survey Replication. Kessler RC, Berglund P,

Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Arch

Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun; 62(6):593-602.

3. World Health Organization . Investing in mental

health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003.

4. Heim C, Shugart M, Craighead WE, Nemeroff CB.

Neurobiological and psychiatric consequences of

child abuse and neglect. Development and

Psychobiology. 2010;52:671–690.

5. MassimilianoBuoli, Marta Serati, Alice Caldiroli,

Laura Cremaschi& Alfredo Carlo Altamura:

Neurodevelopmental versus neurodegenerative

model of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder:

comparison with physiological brain development

and aging. PsychiatriaDanubina, 2017; Vol. 29, No.

1, pp 24-27