Human induced pluripotent stem cells as a research tool in Alzheimer's disease.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a novel, timely approach for investigating the aetiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Although we are starting to gain more insight into the specific mechanisms that cause Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, this has not resulted in therapies to slow the pathological processes. Animal models have been paramount in studying the neurobiological processes underlying psychiatric disorders. Nonetheless, these human conditions cannot be entirely recapitulated in rodents. Human cell models derived from patients' cells now offer new hope for improving our understanding of the early molecular stages of these diseases, through to validating therapeutics. The impact of dementia is increasing, and a new model to investigate the early stages of this disease is heralded as an essential, new platform for translational research. In this paper, we review current literature using iPSCs to study Alzheimer's disease, describe drug discovery efforts using this platform, and discuss the future potential for this technology in psychiatry research.

Adolescent survivors of "ethnic cleansing": observations on the first year in America.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the psychiatric assessments and trauma testimonies of 12 Bosnian adolescents newly resettled in America. METHOD: Twelve Bosnian adolescents who experienced the massive psychic trauma of "ethnic cleansing" were assessed during the first year after their resettlement in the United States. Assessments consisted of systematic, trauma-focused, clinical interviews that included standard assessment scales of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, as well as the opportunity to give testimony about their experiences. RESULTS: PTSD was diagnosed in 25% of subjects and depressive disorders in 17%. Reexperiencing cluster symptoms were present in 50%, avoidance cluster symptoms in 31%, and hyperarousal cluster symptoms in 29%. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively low rate of PTSD in this sample (in comparison with adult survivors of "ethnic cleansing" and with Cambodian adolescent survivors) may be attributable to normal prior development, time-limited adversity, lack of physical or sexual traumas, rejoining nuclear families, or insufficient time for the development of delayed-onset PTSD. It may also be a reflection of the resiliency of adolescence.