Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Web-based psychological self-help may aid bipolar patients

A web-based self-management programme appears to be feasible and may be effective as an intervention for people with bipolar disorder.

7 Aug 2014

Physically fit sixth-graders less likely to feel depressed when they reach seventh grade

Physically fit sixth-graders - especially girls - are less likely to report feeling depressed when they reach seventh grade, according to a study presented at the American Psychological Association's 122nd Annual Convention.

7 Aug 2014

Weight loss improves physical health, but takes toll on mental health

Weight loss significantly improves physical health but effects on mental health are less straightforward, finds new UCL research funded by Cancer Research UK.

7 Aug 2014

Study: Aggressive behaviour linked to increased alcohol use among adolescents

Adolescents who behave aggressively are more likely to drink alcohol and in larger quantities than their peers, according to a recent study completed in Finland. Depression and anxiety, on the other hand, were not linked to increased alcohol use.

7 Aug 2014

Altering the circadian rhythm: an interview with Dr. Doug Kojetin, The Scripps Research Institute

The circadian rhythm is affected by many different stimuli—such as sleep and light, which are the most broadly appreciated ways—but also eating— all of which can modulate, or change, important processes in our bodies such as temperature, production of hormones or other signalling small molecules, cellular regeneration, and others.

6 Aug 2014

Duration of undiagnosed bipolar disorder unrelated to treatment response

The duration of undiagnosed bipolar disorder is unrelated to patients’ clinical status or their response to mood-stabilising medication, study findings indicate.

6 Aug 2014

Dads let negative emotions from marriage spill over and harm the bond with child

Children suffer consequences, too, when mom and dad argue or have tension in their relationship, experts warn.

6 Aug 2014

Mental health coaching eases depression and reduces blood sugar levels in people with diabetes

In a rural, low-income area with a high rate of diabetes, mental health coaching significantly eased depression and reduced blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, according to a pilot study being presented here today at AADE14, the American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting & Exhibition.

6 Aug 2014

Drinking before pregnancy can increase risk of behavioural problems in toddlers

Risk drinking before pregnancy can increase the risk of the development behavioural problems in toddlers.

5 Aug 2014

New treatment plan could reduce need for antihypertensive drugs

It truly could be mind over matter after all. University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Richard Josephson, MD, recently released trial results in a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine that discusses mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for hypertension.

5 Aug 2014

Subtle changes in gene can predict how brain reacts to stress

Scientists studying depression in teens have discovered that subtle changes in a gene can predict how the brain reacts to stress, which can cause such health issues as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and obesity.

5 Aug 2014

Research results in new insights into clinical depression

Research led by the University of Adelaide has resulted in new insights into clinical depression that demonstrate there cannot be a "one-size-fits-all" approach to treating the disease.

4 Aug 2014

Researchers at NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology achieve breakthrough biological results

FEI is pleased to announce that researchers at the NIH-FEI Living Lab for Structural Biology have achieved breakthrough biological results, using FEI’s Titan Krios™ transmission electron microscope (TEM), to elucidate the structural mechanism by which glutamate receptors participate in the transmission of signals between neurons in the brain. Their work is described in Nature, “Structural Mechanism of Glutamate Receptor Activation and Desensitization,” by Meyerson, et al., (DOI: 10.1038/nature13603), http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13603.html .

From Thermo Fisher Scientific – Electron Microscopy Solutions 4 Aug 2014

Epigenetic control of serotonin transporter predicts human brain function

The tiny addition of a chemical mark atop a gene that is well known for its involvement in clinical depression and posttraumatic stress disorder can affect the way a person's brain responds to threats, according to a new study by Duke University researchers.

4 Aug 2014

ACAAI offers practical solutions to improve asthma problem in older women

Women over the age of 65 face numerous barriers to good health: an increased risk for obesity, greater struggles against poverty and higher rates of asthma with worse health outcomes.

4 Aug 2014

Expressive writing may improve health outcomes for Asian-American breast cancer survivors

Writing down fears, emotions and the benefits of a cancer diagnosis may improve health outcomes for Asian-American breast cancer survivors, according to a study conducted by a researcher at the University of Houston (UH).

3 Aug 2014

Study of twins shows that genetic variant provides greater resistance to effects of sleep deprivation

Researchers who studied 100 twin pairs have identified a gene mutation that may allow the carrier to function normally on less than six hours of sleep per night. The genetic variant also appears to provide greater resistance to the effects of sleep deprivation.

1 Aug 2014

Scientists unravel neural circuit that could play important role in autism

The insular cortex is an integral "hub", combining sensory, emotional and cognitive content. Not surprisingly, alterations in insular structure and function have been reported in many psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, addiction and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

1 Aug 2014

‘Soft’ bipolar spectrum disorders differ from depression

The neurocognitive function of patients with major depression who fall into the “soft” bipolar spectrum resembles that of patients with bipolar II disorder rather than those with unipolar depression, say researchers.

31 Jul 2014

Scientists study how artificial light influences biological clock

Researchers at Inserm, led by Claude Gronfier (Inserm Unit 846: Stem Cell and Brain Institute), have, for the first time, conducted a study under real conditions on the body clocks of members of the international polar research station Concordia.

31 Jul 2014