Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

WINCS detects and measures serotonin levels in brain through deep brain stimulation

Mayo Clinic researchers have concluded that, through deep brain stimulation, a Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration System (WINCS) can detect and measure serotonin levels in the brain. The findings suggest that in the future such measurements of serotonin may help establish a therapeutic mechanism of deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disease.

16 Feb 2011

L-methylfolate in combination with antidepressant drug helps major depressive disorder patients

Data published in the January issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, www.psychiatrymmc.com, suggest when L-methylfolate, a medical food available commercially as Deplin®, and by prescription, is used for dietary management of depression in combination with an antidepressant drug at the start of depression therapy, it results in significantly more patients experiencing major improvement and more rapid improvement than antidepressant monotherapy alone.

10 Feb 2011

Zogenix receives 2011 DDP Industry Achievement Award for SUMAVEL DosePro

Zogenix, Inc. today announced that it has received the 2011 Drug Delivery Partnerships™ ("DDP") Innovation Award in the Industry Achievement category for SUMAVEL DosePro (sumatriptan injection) Needle-free Delivery System.

9 Feb 2011

Clinical Data reports $2.0 million revenue for third quarter 2011

Clinical Data, Inc. today announced operational and financial results for the third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2010. The Company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Viibryd™ for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) on January 21, 2011.

9 Feb 2011

TREK1 activity offers a key target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs

Using a unique and relatively simple cell-based fluorescent assay they developed, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley have identified a means by which fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, suppresses the activity of the TREK1 potassium channel.

8 Feb 2011

Study identifies genetic variation linked with increased risk of major depression

Numerous studies have shown that the brain molecule neuropeptide Y (NPY) helps to restore calm after stressful events. A team of University of Michigan-led researchers has now found that people whose genes predispose them to produce lower levels of NPY are more responsive to negative stimuli in key brain circuits related to emotion - and are therefore less resilient in the face of stress and may be at higher risk for developing a major depressive disorder.

8 Feb 2011

WINCS device can detect and measure serotonin levels in brain: Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic researchers have concluded that, through deep brain stimulation, a Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration System can detect and measure serotonin levels in the brain. The findings suggest that in the future such measurements of serotonin may help establish a therapeutic mechanism of deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disease.

5 Feb 2011

Study establishes direct link between morphine abstinence and depressive-like symptoms

Opiate abuse is a chronic disorder and maintaining abstinence represents a major challenge for addicts.

1 Feb 2011

Gut bacteria may influence mammalian brain development and adult behavior

A team of scientists from across the globe have found that gut bacteria may influence mammalian brain development and adult behavior. The study is published in the scientific journal PNAS, and is the result of an ongoing collaboration between scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Genome Institute of Singapore.

1 Feb 2011

Phase III study shows tapentadol ER relieves chronic pain associated with DPN

New research has been published indicating that patients suffering from a painful complication of diabetes may experience a significant improvement in their pain as measured by a pain intensity scale when using an investigational pain medication.

29 Jan 2011

Arena reduces workforce by 25% and provides update on lorcaserin

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today a reduction of its US workforce of approximately 25%, or 66 employees. As a result of the workforce reduction, which Arena plans to complete around March 28, 2011, the company expects to incur restructuring charges, primarily in the first quarter of 2011, of approximately $3.8 million in connection with one-time employee termination costs.

28 Jan 2011

FDA approves Clinical Data's Viibryd for major depressive disorder

Clinical Data, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vilazodone HCl tablets, to be marketed under the brand name Viibryd™, for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder (MDD).

24 Jan 2011

Anti-depressants are passing into waterways and affecting fish

Around one in four Montrealers take some kind of anti-depressant, and according to new research, the drugs are passing into the waterways and affecting fish. The findings are internationally significant as the city's sewage treatment system is similar to that in use in other major cities, and moreover, it is reputed to be the third largest treatment system in the world.

21 Jan 2011

Major breakthrough: Genome-based medicine for treatment of alcoholism

For the first time in alcohol addiction research, UVA investigators have successfully treated alcohol-dependent individuals with medication that is tailored specifically to match their genetic profile.

21 Jan 2011

Health Canada approves Labopharm's OLEPTRO for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Labopharm Inc. today announced that Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD) has approved OLEPTRO, a novel once-daily formulation of the antidepressant trazodone, for the symptomatic relief of Major Depressive Disorder in adults.

21 Jan 2011

Scientists find ADAR1 enzyme protect against measles virus

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that a known enzyme in cells protects against measles virus, likely by altering the virus's genetic material, RNA. Cells lacking the enzyme become highly vulnerable to the virus's destructive effects. The enzyme also protects against several other respiratory viruses, including influenza A.

21 Jan 2011

Preliminary top-line results from levomilnacipran Phase III study for MDD

Forest Laboratories, and Pierre Fabre Medicament today announced preliminary top-line results from a Phase III study of levomilnacipran for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

20 Jan 2011

Antidepressant medication reduces frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes

Women who were either in the transition to menopause or postmenopausal experienced a reduction in the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes with the use of the antidepressant medication escitalopram, compared to women who received placebo, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA.

19 Jan 2011

Study elaborates relationship between obesity and MDD-R, long-term use of ADs

This study demonstrates that patients using antidepressants continuously, mostly serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors, show significantly more overweight and obesity than those using them intermittently or not at all.

18 Jan 2011

Forest Laboratories third quarter net sales increase 6.7% to $1,063.9 million

Forest Laboratories, Inc., an international pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketer, announced that reported earnings per share equaled $1.11 in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 after taking a charge for a new product licensing fee of $66.1 million or $0.23 per share, net of tax.

18 Jan 2011