A look at the 29th ADAA conference: from cutting-edge science to innovative treatments
✍ Scribed by Tanja Jovanovic
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2009
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 81 KB
- Volume
- 26
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1091-4269
- DOI
- 10.1002/da.20576
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
One of the new developments in psychiatry is individualizing pharmacotherapy as well as psychotherapy. Patients can vary in the degree to which they present with the different symptoms such that a ''one size fits all'' treatment is often inadequate. The sources of information that contribute to the optimization of treatment include neuroanatomy, genetics, and early environment, among other things. Therefore, cuttingedge scientific research is focusing on the underlying neurobiology and gene by environment interactions on mental health. On the other hand, treatment programs are tailoring their approach to fit the needs of individual patients. The 2009 Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) Conference focused on how basic research can be translated into clinical practice. Although there were many interesting presentations, this review will highlight several from the basic science spectrum and a few of the novel clinical treatments.
FROM THE LABORATORY: INVESTIGATING THE ROOTS OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
The keynote address of the conference was delivered by Richard Lane, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Arizona who described the brain areas involved in implicit and explicit emotional processes. Using neuroimaging techniques during the presentation of emotional stimuli, Dr. Lane developed a neuroanatomical model in which the brainstem, diencephalon, and limbic systems are involved in generating emotion, whereas the prelimbic areas and prefrontal cortex are implicated in conscious processing of emotion. These models are important when considering different treatment options that may require conscious control of emotion and arousal, as is often the case with anxiety disorders.
One of the highlights of ADAA meetings is the scientific research symposium. In prior years the symposium was open only to those with invitations,