but-for test

The but-for test is a test commonly used in both tort law and criminal law to determine actual causation.

University of Tsukuba, Japan

Future anger management strategies and clinical control of excessive aggression and violent behavior may be realized by developing a therapeutic strategy that adjusts glial activity in the cerebellum. 

A growing body of work suggests that individuals with aggressive behavior and/or aggressive tendencies have evidence of chronic, low level, inflammation as manifested by elevated circulating levels of acute phase reactant proteins and pro-inflammatory cytokines …

What can you do?

Take some time this week to reflect on how your service can further support those who are neurodiverse.

It is important that we take a person-centred approach, as every neurodivergent person has a unique pattern of strengths and challenges.

Please see a number of resources in the Neurodiversity section in our Knowledge Hub here.

It includes excellent resources to help your services to become more inclusive to those who are neurodiverse and experiencing homelessness, such as a learning disabilities and homelessness toolkit, resources from our dementia training project and an autism and homelessness toolkit.

Recent studies have revealed that neuropsychiatric disorders have a pro-inflammatory component in which ROS [Reactive Oxygen Species] is capable of initiating damage and cognitive malfunction.

Our current understanding of cognition suggests that it is the product of a neuronal network that consumes a substantial amount of energy.

Thus, alterations or perturbations of mitochondrial function may alter not only brain energy supply and metabolite generation, but also thought processes and behavior.

Mitochondrial abnormalities and oxidative stress have been implicated in several well-known psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD).

As cognition is highly energy-dependent, we propose that the neuronal pathways underlying maladaptive cognitive processing and psychiatric symptoms are most likely dependent on mitochondrial function, and thus involve brain energy translocation and the accumulation of the byproducts of oxidative stress

The cell danger response is primarily regulated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the body’s chemical energy currency.

While these ATP-signaling pathways do not develop normally in autism, they may be partially restorable with existing pharmaceutical drugs.

In 2017, Naviaux and his team completed early clinical testing for suramin, the only drug approved in humans that can target ATP signaling and which is normally used to treat African sleeping sickness.

The accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria leads to the intense release of free radicals that trigger oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, resulting in an interlinked vicious cascade.

Highlights

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• Microglia originate in the embryonic yolk sac and migrate to the brain during prenatal development.
  

   

•     Microglia survey the brain through expansion and retraction of radial processes, and are essential for normal brain development and function.

   

•     In addition to maintaining homeostasis and responding to CNS injury, microglia regulate synaptogenesis, neuronal maturation and activity.

  

•     Adult microglial function can be programmed by developmental insults.

  

•     Microglial dysregulation is associated with brain aging, neurodegeneration and a range of brain pathologies.
  

Results: We found positive correlations between ADHD traits and hyperfocus, sensory processing sensitivity, and cognitive flexibility. 

The high number of children with skills in this study underscores the need for more research in this area, particularly using instruments focused on understanding the nuances of these strengths.

It is important for future studies to consider these skills in children with cognitive impairment.

{S}pecific training in NDs {Neurodevelopmental Disorders} is limited both in general psychiatry residencies and forensic psychiatry fellowships, this topic represents a common practice gap among forensic examiners.