Anhedonia News and Research

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder may protect individuals from obesity

A new study led by Amitai Abramovitch, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Texas State University, shows that individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are significantly less likely to become overweight or obese.

12 Dec 2018

Scientists identify clues to brain changes in depression

In new pre-clinical research, scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, led by Scott Thompson, PhD, Professor of Physiology, have identified changes in brain activity linked to the pleasure and reward system.

28 Nov 2018

New reviews analyze symptom stability over the course of psychiatric disorders

In patients with psychiatric disorders, stability of symptoms has important implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

31 Oct 2018

Sodium nitroprusside treatment prevents schizophrenia symptoms in animal model

Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil have tested a treatment with sodium nitroprusside in a strain of rats that spontaneously develop some of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia.

12 Jul 2018

Worsening of anxiety symptoms may be early indicator of Alzheimer's disease

A new study suggests an association between elevated amyloid beta levels and the worsening of anxiety symptoms. The findings support the hypothesis that neuropsychiatric symptoms could represent the early manifestation of Alzheimer's disease in older adults.

12 Jan 2018

New research reveals causes of weight gain after deep brain stimulation in Parkinsonian patients

It was already known that people affected by Parkinson's disease, when subjected to deep brain stimulation, gained weight, but it was less clear why that was so. Thanks to new research by the International School for Advanced Studies - SISSA in Trieste, it has been realized that the weight gain after implant has a multifactorial origin.

5 May 2017

People with musical anhedonia show reduced functional connectivity between cortical regions

Have you ever met someone who just wasn't into music? They may have a condition called specific musical anhedonia, which affects three-to-five per cent of the population.

4 Jan 2017

New study explains brain mechanisms linked to lack of sensitivity to music

Researchers from the Cognition and Cerebral Plasticity group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Barcelona, in collaboration with researchers from the University of McGill, have published a new study in which brain mechanisms associated to the lack of sensitivity to music are explained.

17 Nov 2016

Regular marijuana use impacts the brain's natural response to rewards

Most people would get a little 'rush' out of the idea that they're about to win some money.

6 Jul 2016

Study finds decreased habenula activity in people with depression

A region of the brain that responds to bad experiences has the opposite reaction to expectations of aversive events in people with depression compared to healthy adults, finds a new UCL study funded by the Medical Research Council.

31 May 2016

Study provides new insight into how drug addicts' brains wired differently

A study out today provides new insight into how the brains of drug addicts may be wired differently. The findings, which appear in the journal Psychopharmacology, show that while drug users have very strong motivation to seek out "rewards," they exhibit an impaired ability to adjust their behavior and are less fulfilled once they have achieved what they desire.

11 Feb 2016

Inflammation associated with elevated glutamate in the brain could guide depression treatments

Psychiatrists investigating depression have been energized in recent years by reports of rapid, successful treatment with drugs that interfere with the brain chemical glutamate, such as the anesthetic ketamine.

13 Jan 2016

Brain imaging reveals distinctive aspects of high-inflammation depression

About one third of people with depression have high levels of inflammation markers in their blood. New research indicates that persistent inflammation affects the brain in ways that are connected with stubborn symptoms of depression, such as anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure.

21 Nov 2015

New study identifies potential antidepressant medications with few side effects

A new study by researchers at University of Maryland School of Medicine has identified promising compounds that could successfully treat depression in less than 24 hours while minimizing side effects. Although they have not yet been tested in people, the compounds could offer significant advantages over current antidepressant medications.

14 Jul 2015

Study finds significant links between depression, poor dietary quality and high BMI

In a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers from the RAND Corporation report that for people receiving food assistance there are significant links between depression, poor dietary quality, and high body mass index (BMI).

10 Mar 2015

Nonmotor symptoms cluster in Parkinson’s disease patients

Nonmotor symptoms tend to appear in specific clusters in patients with Parkinson’s disease and often predate the onset of motor symptoms, research shows.

16 Jan 2015

Genetics underpin bullying victimisation influence on paranoia

Bullying victimisation in childhood may indicate genetic risk for later psychosis, rather than being an environmental trigger, say UK researchers.

22 Oct 2014

Music does not speak to everyone

Although it is not associated with any apparent biological advantagess or useful value (such as money), music is ranked among the highest sources of pleasure. Music's important role in our society and culture has led to the assumption that its ability to induce pleasure is universal. However, this assumption has never been empirically tested.

10 Mar 2014

Neurocognition, negative symptom effects in psychotic prodrome clarified

The contribution of neurocognition and negative symptoms to impaired social and role functioning in patients at clinical high risk of psychosis is important enough to warrant targeting both with therapeutic interventions, say researchers.

7 Mar 2014

Psychosis prediction model could facilitate early intervention

A integrated model has shown “outstanding” ability to predict the transition to psychosis in clinically high-risk patients, report investigators in Schizophrenia Bulletin.

25 Oct 2013