Depression News and Research

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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.

Social contact-seeking behavior in mice is driven by peptide amylin in the brain, study reveals

As we have experienced during the COVID pandemic, loneliness, or perceived social isolation, is a major stress for social animals and increases the risk of various mental and physical health issues such as depression, substance abuse, obesity, and premature death.

9 Feb 2022

Researchers build rapid-acting antidepressant compounds that are non-hallucinogenic

The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression.

2 Feb 2022

Research offers new insight into climate change in the Early Holocene

New insight into how our early ancestors dealt with major shifts in climate is revealed in the research, published today [27 Jan] in Nature Ecology & Evolution, by an international team, led by Professor Rick Schulting from Oxford University's School of Archaeology.

28 Jan 2022

An Interview with The Million Veteran Program (MVP)

In this interview, we speak to Dr. Sumitra Muralidhar, the Program Director for VA’s Million Veteran Program (MVP) about the program and its aims for veterans.

28 Jan 2022

Exposure to phthalates may alter a hormone needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy

Exposure to phthalates-; a group of chemicals found in everything from plastics to personal care products to electronics-; may disrupt an important hormone needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy, according to a Rutgers study.

13 Jan 2022

Neurons derived from human stem cells can predict the cardinal features of psychiatric illness

In a breakthrough that holds significant promise for early diagnosis and better treatment of psychiatric illness, researchers have for the first time used neurons derived from human stem cells to predict the cardinal features of a psychiatric illness, such as psychosis and cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia.

11 Jan 2022

Scientists discover hotspots in the 'dark genome' associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes - the 'dark genome' - have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

24 Dec 2021

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