http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. People with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have trouble communicating and interacting with others because they process language, facial expressions and social cues differently. Previously, researchers found that propranolol, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, anxiety and panic, could improve the language abilities and social functioning of people with an ASD. Now, University of Missouri investigators say the prescription drug also could help improve the working memory abilities of individuals with autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-drug-memory-people-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:26:16 EST news285261970 Fear responses can only be erased when people learn something new while retrieving the fear memory. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by scientists from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and published in the leading journal Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-memory-susceptible-eradication-responses.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:30:04 EST news280427069 (HealthDay)—Improved understanding of the pathogenesis of infantile hemangiomas (IHs) is leading to better treatment options, according to a review published online Dec. 24 in Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-infantile-hemangiomas.html Pediatrics Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:00:01 EST news275838784 (Medical Xpress) -- Taking a heart disease medication can affect a person's subconscious attitudes towards race, a team of ethicists, psychiatrists and psychologists at Oxford University has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-drug-implicit-racial-bias.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:14:51 EST news250506884 Stressed people fall into habits and their behaviour is not goal-directed. That the neurotransmitter norepinephrine plays a decisive role here is now reported in the Journal of Neuroscience by scientists from Bochum led by Dr. Lars Schwabe (RUB Faculty of Psychology). If the effect of norepinephrine is stopped by beta blockers, the stress effect does not occur. "The results may be important for addictive behaviours, where stress is a key risk factor" said Schwabe. "They are characterised by ingrained routines and habits." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-eyes-goal-stress.html Neuroscience Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:24:00 EST news241694615 The American Academy of Neurology is releasing an updated guideline on how to best treat essential tremor, which is the most common type of tremor disorder and is often confused with other movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The guideline is published in the October 19, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-aan-guideline-essential-tremor.html Neuroscience Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:22:21 EST news238260125 Most drug therapy interventions for people with autism have targeted psychiatric problems, including aggression, anxiety and obsessive behavior. Now, University of Missouri researchers are examining the use of propranolol (a drug used to treat high blood pressure and control heart rate as well as to reduce test anxiety) to improve the primary traits associated with autism – difficulty with normal social skills, language and repetitive behaviors. MU researchers say the drug is a promising new avenue for improving language and social function. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-drug-treatment-language-social-function.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:21:39 EST news236524890 Compared with oral corticosteroids, use of the beta-blocker propranolol for treatment of infantile hemangiomas (IHs) was associated with higher rates of lesion clearance, fewer adverse effects, fewer surgical interventions after treatment, and lowers cost, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-beta-blocker-outcomes-treatment-infantile-vascular.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:38:30 EST news232648697 New discoveries by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) offer potential for development of a first-ever pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-treatment-cocaine-addiction.html Medical research Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:00:37 EST news229953617 The beta-blocker propranolol appears to be associated with reducing the size and color of hemangiomas of the head and neck in a pediatric population, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-propranolol-size-neck-hemangiomas-children.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 16 May 2011 18:00:01 EST news224785656