depression

Ketamine reverses neural changes underlying depression-related behaviors in mice

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3-D model of Ketamine. Credit: Wikipedia Researchers have identified ketamine-induced brain-related changes that are responsible for maintaining the remission of behaviors related to depression in mice—findings that may help researchers develop interventions that promote lasting remission of depression in humans. The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National … Read more

Can genetic variants predict depression risk in young people?

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A new study looks at the genetic makeup of thousands of adults with depression to try to find an accurate way of predicting which children and adolescents may be at risk of developing this mental health problem. Researchers identify a genetic risk score that could help predict depression risk in the young. Many factors determine … Read more

Can blocking a single protein tackle depression, obesity, and pain?

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Depression, obesity, and chronic pain are some of the most pressing global health concerns. New research may have found a drug that could one day tackle all of these three conditions. Scientists may have identified a protein inhibitor that could tackle three conditions at once. Almost 40 percent of adults in the United States were … Read more

Childhood trauma has lasting effect on brain connectivity in patients with depression

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Credit: CC0 Public Domain A study lead by Penn Medicine researchers found that childhood trauma is linked to abnormal connectivity in the brain in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). The paper, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the first data-driven study to show symptom-specific, system-level changes in … Read more

Mental health can impact memory decades later

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New research from the United Kingdom has found that people who experience recurrent episodes of depression throughout adulthood are more at risk of developing memory problems later in life. Accumulated depression and anxiety can predict a person’s likelihood of developing memory problems. Scientists have already shown that depression and other mental health problems can affect … Read more

Scientists quash claims about single ‘depression genes’

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After completing an enormous study, scientists have dismissed claims that single gene variants, or even a small group of them, can dictate susceptibility to depression. Instead, they suggest that any genetic risk for depression likely arises from very large numbers of variants, each contributing a small effect. A group of scientists has debunked the ‘candidate … Read more

From Popular Anesthetic to Antidepressant, Ketamine Isn’t the Drug You Think It Is

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A new form of ketamine, called esketamine was recently approved as a nasally-delivered antidepressant. (Credit: grey_and/Shutterstock) An hour before we spoke, Darragh O’Carroll, an emergency room physician from Hawaii, had just given an elderly patient a sedating shot of ketamine. The man had pneumonia and was acting confused and fidgety, making him hard to treat. … Read more

FDA Approves Ketamine Derivative as Depression Treatment for First Time

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One in 3 people with severe depression do not respond to treatment. (Credit: TZIDO SUN/Shutterstock) Treatment-resistant depression affects 1 in 3 of the estimated 16.2 million adults in the U.S. who have suffered at least one major depressive episode. For them, two or more therapies have failed and the risk of suicide is much greater. … Read more

Commentary: What postnatal depression really feels like

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Assumptions and expectations of motherhood are leaving many new mothers with deteriorating mental health, researchers from Queen’s University Belfast point out. (Photo: Unsplash/Kevin Liang) BELFAST: Motherhood can be a source of joy, but it can also pose difficulties and challenges – particularly, in the postnatal period. It is a time when some mothers’ emotional and physical … Read more

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