Strict parenting and other childhood stresses increase depression risks later in life by altering the way in which DNA is read.
Treatments for depression including ECT and antidepressants increase brain connectivity in those with clinical depression.
The dose of nicotine from a single cigarette blocks estrogen production in the brain, causing behavioral changes. Findings may shed new light on why quitting smoking may be more difficult for women than men.
Children born to parents who are under 20, or those born to mothers over 35 and fathers over 45 are at increased risk of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder later in life. Older men, researchers report, are at greater risk of having a child with bipolar disorder.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients admitted to hospitals for clinical depression care dropped significantly. However, the number of people seeking out-patient care for depression increased.
Prescribing psychedelic therapies including MDMA and psilocybin in combination with counseling and psychotherapy improve symptoms for those with PTSD.
The more a person experiences severe depression through their lifespan, the less they react emotionally to negative faces during current depressive episodes.
Prucalopride, a medication commonly prescribed to treat constipation, may help improve memory and cognition. People prescribed the drug for 6 days performed better in memory tests and had increased activity in brain areas associated with cognition.
Depression and anxiety have different biochemical links to inflammation and lipid metabolism. Those with depression have greater levels of inflammation and different types and amounts of lipids in their blood compared to those with anxiety. The metabolites associated with depression were linked to the severity of symptoms. Higher levels of lipids associated with depression detected in a person's blood correlated with more severe symptoms.
Listening to Mozart can reduce the frequency of seizures in those with epilepsy. Exposure to the music of Mozart daily not only significantly reduces seizure frequency, but it also reduces abnormal brain activity associated with epilepsy.
Measuring changes in heart rate for 24 hours, researchers can predict, with 90% accuracy, if a person is currently suffering from symptoms of depression.
Patients with schizophrenia show increased brain activity in central areas of the brain, but lower activity in the temporal sulcus when hearing metaphors.
