Race and psychiatric illness

Protein kinase C overactivity impairs prefrontal cortical regulation of working memory

The prefrontal cortex is a higher brain region that regulates thought, behavior, and emotion using representational knowledge, operations often referred to as working memory. We tested the influence of protein kinase C (PKC) intracellular signaling on prefrontal cortical cognitive function and showed that high levels of PKC activity in prefrontal cortex, as seen for example during stress exposure, markedly impair behavioral and electrophysiological measures of working memory. These data suggest that excessive PKC activation can disrupt prefrontal cortical regulation of behavior and thought, possibly contributing to signs of prefrontal cortical dysfunction such as distractibility, impaired judgment, impulsivity, and thought disorder.

Economic evaluations and interventions for children and adolescents with mental health problems

Economic evaluations of interventions for children and adolescents with mental health problems are comparatively rare, although the growing need for them is now quite widely recognized. This review paper first explains how demands for such evaluations have built up, and for what reasons, and then considers the response from evaluators. The various modes of economic evaluation are introduced and illustrated. Previous and current research is discussed by reference to five generic research questions commonly addressed in the wider health economics field: What treatment should be provided? When? Where? To whom? How? The review concludes with recommendations as to how economic evaluations should be taken forward in this increasingly important area of intervention.