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depression

The image shows a lego man acting as a gatekeeper for the brain activity to neuronal growth.

·February 7, 2013·4 min read

Researchers Uncover Key to Antidepressant Response

Researchers identify a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy. The experimental results explain how these therapies likely work to relieve depression by stimulating stem cells in the brain to grow and mature.

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience

·January 23, 2013·3 min read

Astrocytes Identified as Target for New Depression Therapy

Neuroscientists found that astrocytes may be responsible for the rapid improvement in mood in depressed patients after acute sleep deprivation. This study identified how astrocytes can regulate a neurotransmitter involved in sleep.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·August 16, 2012·3 min read

Common Parasite May Trigger Suicide Attempts

New research adds to the growing work linking an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to suicide attempts. About 10-20 percent of people in the United States have T. gondii, in their bodies.

Featured Neurology Psychology

·August 6, 2012·8 min read

Brain Signal IDs Responders to Fast-Acting Antidepressants

Scientists have discovered a biological marker that may help to identify which depressed patients will respond to an experimental, rapid-acting antidepressant like ketamine. The brain signal, detectable by noninvasive imaging, also holds clues to the agent's underlying mechanism, which are vital for drug development, say NIH researchers.

Electrophysiology Featured Psychology

·July 11, 2012·7 min read

Why the Thrill is Gone: Scientists Identify Potential Target for Treating Major Symptom of Depression

Scientists have laid bare a novel molecular mechanism responsible for the major depression symptom, anhedonia, the loss of the ability to experience pleasure. The brain circuit involved in this newly elucidated pathway is largely identical between rodents and humans, upping the odds that the findings point toward new therapies for depression and other disorders. Additionally, opinion leaders hailed the study’s inventive methodology, saying it may offer a much sounder approach to testing new antidepressants.