Depression News and Research

RSS

Depression is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. It's more than just a feeling of being "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. If you are one of the more than 20 million people in the United States who have depression, the feelings do not go away. They persist and interfere with your everyday life.

Neural circuit coordinates breathing with negative emotions, says study

Recently, a group of Salk scientists unraveled a neural network in the brain that coordinates breathing rhythm with feelings of fear and pain.

21 Dec 2021

Researchers successfully generated Leydig cells from human iPS cells

Scientists recently succeeded in creating Leydig cells from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

2 Dec 2021

Research findings anticipated to facilitate production of novel drug candidates

Pharmaceuticals commonly available on the market are developed by linking together rings of molecules to generate drugs that treat conditions like depression.

19 Nov 2021

New gene critical for daily behavioral rhythms discovered

Life is organized on a 24-hour schedule. Central to this regular rhythm is the circadian clock, timekeepers that are present in virtually every organ, tissue and cell type.

16 Nov 2021

Microbiome differences in autism reflect dietary preferences, says study

Earlier studies suggest that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be partly due to differences in the gut microbiota composition.

15 Nov 2021

Study sheds light on how genes and air pollution elevate healthy people’s depression risk

A genetic predisposition for depression combined with exposure to high-particulate-matter air pollution greatly elevates the risk that healthy people will experience depression, according to a first-of-its-kind study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences from neuroscientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, on the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, and Peking University in Beijing, China.

9 Nov 2021

Study reveals gene responsible for food-dependent form of Cushing's Syndrome

A team of scientists in Montreal and Paris has succeeded in identifying the gene responsible for the development of a food-dependent form of Cushing's Syndrome, a rare disease affecting both adrenal glands.

15 Oct 2021

Parents' stress during COVID-19 affected eating habits of children

The incredible stress parents experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the eating habits of their children, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Houston College of Education.

13 Oct 2021

Eating mushrooms may benefit a person's mental health, study reveals

Mushrooms have been making headlines due to their many health advantages. Not only do they lower one's risk of cancer and premature death, but new research led by Penn State College of Medicine also reveals that these superfoods may benefit a person's mental health.

From Penn State University 13 Oct 2021

Researchers discover that existing drug can enhance memory

A group of scientists identified that a prevailing drug for treating constipation might boost an individual’s capability to think with better clarity.

4 Oct 2021

Smoking-related DNA methylation patterns explain the variation in BMI between individuals

Smoking-related DNA methylation patterns explain around a fifth of the variation in body mass index (BMI) between individuals, according to a study publishing September 9th in the open-access journal PLOS Genetics, led by Carmen Amador at the University of Edinburgh.

13 Sep 2021

Researchers analyze the effects of using tetrahydrocannabinol during pregnancy

A group of scientists combined their mastery to obtain a thorough understanding of the risks linked with cannabis exposure at the time of pregnancy.

3 Sep 2021

Study proposes a novel approach for developing safer analgesics

Opioids are potent painkillers; however, their use is hampered as patients become tolerant to them, necessitating more and more doses.

From The University of California, Davis 31 Aug 2021

Study identifies variants and genes linked to alcohol consumption

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published the first of its kind research in the field of addiction genetics employing a multi-omics method to offer a huge list of causal candidate genes linked with alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

24 Aug 2021

Study discovers link between corticosteroid receptors and hippocampal neuroplasticity, ciliary genes

Chronic stress is a well-known cause for mental health disorders. New research has moved a step forward in understanding how glucocorticoid hormones ('stress hormones') act upon the brain and what their function is.

9 Aug 2021

Mass spectrometry: Important analytical tool to understand Huntington’s disease proteome

Mass spectrometry has emerged as an important analytical tool for gaining a better understanding of mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease (HD), alongside the increased availability of cell and animal models of the disease.

14 Jul 2021

Study unravels genetic markers involved in life’s momentous milestones

A team of Oxford researchers successfully identified hundreds of genetic markers that are involved in two of life’s most momentous milestones.

5 Jul 2021

Commonly used antidepressant drugs can also help the immune system to attack cancer

A class of drug called monoamine oxidase inhibitors is commonly prescribed to treat depression; the medications work by boosting levels of serotonin, the brain's "happiness hormone."

10 Jun 2021

Developing computational tools to illuminate how genetic factors impact the brain

Liang Zhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, received a $500,000 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop computational tools that improve our understanding of the human brain.

From University of Pittsburgh 8 Jun 2021

Single biomarker in the blood can accurately indicate underlying neurodegeneration

Levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood can identify those who might have neurodegenerative diseases such as Down's syndrome dementia, motor neuron disease (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia, when clinical symptoms are not definitive.

8 Jun 2021