Alcohol Abuse

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), now more commonly called complexpartial seizure disorder so as to include seizures that originatein the frontal foci, straddles the borderland between psychiatryand neurology.

Brain serotonin levels as a predictor of suicide has been the subject of intense research scrutiny over the past several years, with scientists trying to find easily accessible markers so that the neurotransmitter's levels might someday be readily measured in clinical settings.

Sleep disorders and substance abuse disorders are widespread acrossthe United States, researchers have found. According to the NationalCommission on Sleep Disorders Research, more than 80 million Americanscomplain of sleep difficulties, while Schuckit and Irwin reportedthe lifetime prevalence of alcohol abuse or dependence to be 13percent and nonalcohol drug abuse, 5.9 percent.

Sleep apnea, a medical disorder with significant health and behavioraleffects, is of particular interest to psychiatrists for its capacityto mimic or exacerbate symptoms of psychiatric disturbances suchas depression, anxiety and panic disorder.

Dopamine plays an important role in controlling movement, emotion and cognition. Dopaminergic dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, mood disorders, attention-deficit disorder, Tourette's syndrome, substance dependency, tardive dyskinesia, Parkinson's disease and other disorders.