Neuropsychopharmacology News and Research

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Weight loss medication semaglutide reduces cocaine seeking behavior in animal study

Scientists have found that the diabetes/weight loss drug Semaglutide, sold commercially under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, significantly reduces cocaine-seeking behaviour in rats.

4 Sep 2025

New neurochemical signature distinguishes Parkinson’s disease from essential tremor

Researchers have identified a neurochemical signature that sets Parkinson's disease apart from essential tremor - two of the most common movement disorders, but each linked to distinct changes in the brain.

2 Sep 2025

Changing the narrative on hormone-related mood disorders in women

In a wide-ranging Genomic Press Interview published today in Brain Medicine, Dr. David R. Rubinow recounts the serendipitous path that led him to overturn decades of medical assumptions about hormone-related mood disorders in women.

29 Jul 2025

Shaping the future of psychiatry with precision medicine

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Mirko Manchia opens up about his transformative journey from a small Sardinian city to becoming a leading voice in psychiatric pharmacogenomics, revealing how personal family experiences with mental illness sparked a lifelong quest to understand why psychiatric medications work brilliantly for some patients while failing others.

8 Jul 2025

New virtual reality system aims to revolutionize psychiatric diagnosis

Researchers have developed a virtual reality-based system that shows promise in improving the differentiation between common mental health conditions, potentially paving the way for earlier and more personalized treatment.

31 Mar 2025

Fatty acids in the blood may predict risk of developing schizophrenia from cannabis use

The UPV/EHU study, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, has analyzed and compared the fatty acids in the blood of individuals with schizophrenia, of those with cannabis use disorder and of those with both diagnoses, with the aim of shedding light on new biomarkers and improving the understanding of the biological relationship between the two disorders.

21 Mar 2025

Promising drug enhances motor recovery after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI)-a condition that leads to partial or complete paralysis-has a profound impact on millions of individuals globally.

13 Mar 2025

Understanding sex differences in the genetic basis of schizophrenia

A joint research study conducted by the UAB and the UB has analyzed the relation between the genetic risk of having schizophrenia and mild subclinical traits in people of the general population.

26 Feb 2025

Blood pressure medication amlodipine shows promise in treating ADHD symptoms

Repurposing amlodipine, a commonly used blood pressure medicine, could help manage attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, according to an international study involving the University of Surrey.

20 Feb 2025

Postpartum depression research could lead to blood test for at-risk women

New postpartum depression research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine could lead to a blood test to identify women at risk and possibly even to a preventive treatment.

13 Feb 2025

Maternal stress may leave epigenetic marks on certain placental genes

Maternal stress could leave epigenetic imprints on genes in the placenta associated with cortisol — a necessary hormone for fetal development — and this would affect the baby's development from very early stages, as stated in a paper published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

4 Feb 2025

Hormonal markers could lead to early detection of postpartum depression

Women who go on to develop postpartum depression (PPD) may have characteristic levels of neuroactive steroids, molecules derived from the hormone progesterone, in their blood during the third trimester of pregnancy, according to a new study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

30 Jan 2025

Can nicotine improve cognitive function and inflammation in people with HIV?

Research indicates smoking may improve cognitive control in HIV-positive individuals by lowering brain inflammation, highlighting nicotine's potential benefits.

3 Jan 2025

Cannabinol enhances sleep in rats, study shows

Research by scientists at the University of Sydney has identified a constituent in the cannabis plant that improves sleep.

11 Nov 2024

New technology for visualizing AMPA receptors offers insights into psychiatric disorders

Even though psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are quite common, their diagnosis and treatment are challenging.

5 Nov 2024

Study highlights gender differences in genetic risk for psychotic disorders

A team of researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Centre for Biomedical Research in the Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM) has published a pioneering study that reveals significant findings in the field of genetic psychiatry from the perspective of separate gender analysis.

26 Sep 2024