Antidepressant News and Research

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Antidepressants are medicines that treat depression. Your doctor can prescribe them for you. They can improve your mood, sleep, appetite and concentration. It may take several weeks for them to help. There are several types of antidepressants. You and your doctor may have to try several before finding what works best for you.

UTHealth psychiatrists win 2013 American Psychiatric Association's Mind Games competition for the third time

For the final question in the 2013 American Psychiatric Association's Mind Games competition, it was not enough to name the medication (ketamine) that has been shown in a few small studies to have a rapid antidepressant effect in treatment refractory patients.

14 Jun 2013

Depression, antidepressant use may increase risk for diabetes and CVD in postmenopausal women

Postmenopausal women who use antidepressant medication or suffer from depression might be more likely to have a higher body mass index, larger waist circumference and inflammation-all associated with increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a study led by University of Massachusetts Medical School investigator Yunsheng Ma, PhD, MD, MPH, and published in the June 13 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

14 Jun 2013

PTSD patients with Met-66 allele of BDNF show poorer response to exposure therapy

There is growing evidence that a gene variant that reduces the plasticity of the nervous system also modulates responses to treatments for mood and anxiety disorders. In this case, patients with posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, with a less functional variant of the gene coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor, responded less well to exposure therapy.

13 Jun 2013

Constella® (linaclotide), for the symptomatic treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C), is now available in Germany, UK and Nordic countries

Almirall, S.A. (ALM:MC) and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD) announced the launch of Constella® (linaclotide 290mcg capsules once daily), the first approved prescription therapy in a new class of treatments for adults suffering from moderate to severe IBS-C,(1) in Europe. Constella® is now available in Germany, the UK and Nordic countries and is expected to be launched in several other European countries in 2013.

13 Jun 2013

Common antidepressant medications may impair a form of learning, new report suggests

An interesting new report of animal research published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that common antidepressant medications may impair a form of learning that is important clinically.

10 Jun 2013

Naurex initiates Phase I trial of NRX-1074 in normal volunteers

Naurex Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today announced that it has begun patient dosing in a Phase I trial of its novel, orally active agent NRX-1074.

4 Jun 2013

GLYX-13 drug induces antidepressant results without street drug side effects

GLYX-13, a molecular cousin to ketamine, induces similar antidepressant results without the street drug side effects, reported a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that was published last month in Neuropsychopharmacology.

31 May 2013

Research explores connections between the brain, immune system and psychological functions

It's true that the brain governs the body, but the body also governs the brain, for example when the immune defense system makes us rest when we're sick. This is shown in research that the world's leading researchers and Nobel laureates will be presenting at an international conference in the research field of psychoneuroimmunology in Stockholm in June.

30 May 2013

Antidepressants cause mood elevation and behavioral activation in children and adolescents

A paper published in the current issue of P&P by a group of researchers of the University of Bologna (headed by Professor Giovanni Fava) and a Harvard psychopharmacologist (professor Ross Baldessarini) has analyzed data that derive from randomized controlled trials concerned with the use of antidepressant drugs in children and adolescents.

27 May 2013

Long-term depression linked with life-threatening chronic disease, earlier death

The first symptoms of major depression may be behavioral, but the common mental illness is based in biology — and not limited to the brain. In recent years some studies have linked major, long-term depression with life-threatening chronic disease and with earlier death, even after lifestyle risk factors have been taken into account.

23 May 2013

Antidepressant treatment results in lower rate of MSIMI

Among patients with stable coronary heart disease and mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI), 6 weeks of treatment with the antidepressant escitalopram, compared with placebo, resulted in a lower rate of MSIMI, according to a study in the May 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 May 2013

Study reinforces efficacy of NeuroStar TMS Therapy System in patients with MDD

New data released today at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association show that the NeuroStar TMS Therapy System induced statistically and clinically meaningful response and remission in patients with Major Depressive Disorder during the acute phase of therapy, which were maintained through one year of treatment.

22 May 2013

Stronger epigenetic changes in estrogen responsive genes linked to postpartum depression

The epigenetic modifications, which alter the way genes function without changing the underlying DNA sequence, can apparently be detected in the blood of pregnant women during any trimester, potentially providing a simple way to foretell depression in the weeks after giving birth, and an opportunity to intervene before symptoms become debilitating.

21 May 2013

UTMB researchers awarded grant to study gene therapy techniques to eliminate neuropathic pain

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have been awarded a five-year, $1.8 million grant by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to apply the techniques of gene therapy to the problem of neuropathic pain - that is, pain that arises from a malfunction in the nervous system.

21 May 2013

Patients with treatment-resistant depression benefit from ketamine

Patients with treatment-resistant major depression saw dramatic improvement in their illness after treatment with ketamine, an anesthetic, according to the largest ketamine clinical trial to-date led by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

20 May 2013

Takeda, Lundbeck announce presentation of data from four studies that evaluate vortioxetine for MDD

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and H. Lundbeck A/S today announced that the companies will be presenting new data from four studies that evaluated effectiveness in treating the overall symptoms of depression in patients taking vortioxetine, an investigational agent under review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

20 May 2013

Depression and time perception: an interview with Dr Rachel Msetfi, University of Limerick

In clinical terms, depression is defined by the presence of a cluster of symptoms. The Diagnostic Manual used by many psychologists and psychiatrists cites nine symptoms of depression, of which five must be present for a two-week period.

16 May 2013

Researchers discover connection between CB1 receptors and PTSD

In a first-of-its-kind effort to illuminate the biochemical impact of trauma, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a connection between the quantity of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain, known as CB1 receptors, and post-traumatic stress disorder, the chronic, disabling condition that can plague trauma victims with flashbacks, nightmares and emotional instability.

14 May 2013

Journal provides guidance for clinicians on prescribing exercise for depressed patients

Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder, both when used alone and in combination with other treatments.

13 May 2013

Nearly 1/10 stroke patients suffer from chronic and debilitating pain

Nearly 1 in 10 stroke patients suffer chronic and debilitating pain, typically described as sharp, stabbing or burning. It's called central poststroke pain syndrome (CPSP). It was first described more than 100 years ago, and it is treatable with medications and magnetic or electrical stimulation of the brain.

9 May 2013