Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

Novel decoding technology could predict mood variations from brain signals

By developing a novel decoding technology, a team of engineers and physicians at the University of Southern California and UC San Francisco have discovered how mood variations can be decoded from neural signals in the human brain--a process that has not been demonstrated to date.

10 Sep 2018

Stress can permanently and profoundly impact connectivity of developing nerves

Scientists stunted the puberty of male worms by starving them before they underwent sexual maturation. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, the scientists suggested that stress from starvation even days before sexual maturation prevented normal changes in the wiring patterns of key neuronal circuits, which caused adult male worms to act immature.

7 Sep 2018

Single dose of cannabidiol showed effective results in rats with symptoms of depression

Commercial antidepressants typically take two to four weeks to have a significant effect on a depressed patient. They are also inneffective in approximately 40% of the cases.

31 Aug 2018

Researchers create candidate drugs with potential to curb smoking

Washington State University researchers have created more than a dozen candidate drugs with the potential to curb smokers' desire for nicotine by slowing how it is broken down in the body. The researchers hope the substances can help people reduce their consumption of tobacco, if not quit altogether.

28 Aug 2018

Study: 1 in 12 children taking multiple medications at risk of drug-drug interactions

According to new research from the University of Illinois at Chicago, about one in five children regularly use prescription medications, and nearly one in 12 of those children are at risk for experiencing a harmful drug-drug interaction.

27 Aug 2018

Research provides drug developers with much needed insight into serotonin receptor

Serotonin, known as the "happiness" neurotransmitter, is a chemical found in the body responsible for feelings of well-being. But serotonin isn't the only chemical that binds to the 13 serotonin receptors found on the surface of cells. Far from it. Many approved drugs also bind to serotonin receptors.

21 Aug 2018

New insight could help develop novel and more effective antidepressant drugs

A new area in depression research suggests dysfunction in mitochondria -- the main source of energy for cells -- could lead to major depression.

10 Aug 2018

Snapchat dysmorphia - 'selfie-face' aspirations see rise in plastic surgery requests

Snapchat and Facetune as well as other social media apps come under fire in a new JAMA article. These apps are being increasingly used, causing more and more youngsters to alter and edit their faces to modify their actual appearance.

6 Aug 2018

Study looks into mechanisms that control sleep and wakefulness

Sleep is an autonomic process and is not always under our direct, voluntary control. Awake or asleep, we are basically under the regulation of two biological processes: sleep homeostasis, commonly known as 'sleep pressure', and the circadian rhythm, otherwise known as the 'body clock'.

20 Jul 2018

Depression and anxiety in heart failure patients linked to adverse outcomes

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are present in about one-third of patients with heart failure - and these patients are at higher risk of progressive heart disease and other adverse outcomes, according to a review and update in the July/August issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

6 Jul 2018

Psychedelics and their role in treatment of mental health disorders

Psychedelics such as LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline etc. have garnered renewed interest in the scientific world because of the possible role they could play in mental health problems. Ketamine remains the only hallucinogen at present that is used clinically as an anesthetic agent. The others are all classified under banned drugs.

2 Jul 2018

New therapeutic may help drug addicts avoid future drug use

A new therapeutic may help reverse chemical imbalances made to the brain by habitual drug use and could one day help recovering drug addicts avoid future drug use.

30 Jun 2018

A small molecule can inhibit chemotherapy resistance of certain tumors

A team of researchers from the CNRS and Université Nice Sophia Antipolis has just shown that a small molecule called methiothepin can inhibit the chemotherapy resistance of certain tumors.

28 Jun 2018

Suicide at higher altitudes unlikely to be caused by hypoxia

Following an extensive analysis of published studies, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that while suicide rates are higher at higher altitudes, they are unlikely caused by hypoxia, (low oxygen) at these elevations.

27 Jun 2018