Major Depressive Disorder News and Research

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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by depressed mood or anhedonia (significant loss of interest or pleasure). The condition affects more than 15.7 million adults and approximately 3 million adolescents (aged 13 to 17 years) in the USA each year.

Low-dose ketamine anesthetic has potential to alleviate severe depression

Low-dose intravenous infusions of ketamine, a general anesthetic used in minor surgeries, given over a long period are an effective treatment for depression, Mayo Clinic researchers found. The study is published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

5 Jun 2013

Naurex initiates Phase I trial of NRX-1074 in normal volunteers

Naurex Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today announced that it has begun patient dosing in a Phase I trial of its novel, orally active agent NRX-1074.

4 Jun 2013

Study: Sleep disturbance may contribute to depression risk by impairing emotion regulation

A new study provides neurobiological evidence for dysfunction in the neural circuitry underlying emotion regulation in people with insomnia, which may have implications for the risk relationship between insomnia and depression.

23 May 2013

Study reinforces efficacy of NeuroStar TMS Therapy System in patients with MDD

New data released today at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association show that the NeuroStar TMS Therapy System induced statistically and clinically meaningful response and remission in patients with Major Depressive Disorder during the acute phase of therapy, which were maintained through one year of treatment.

22 May 2013

Takeda, Lundbeck announce presentation of data from four studies that evaluate vortioxetine for MDD

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and H. Lundbeck A/S today announced that the companies will be presenting new data from four studies that evaluated effectiveness in treating the overall symptoms of depression in patients taking vortioxetine, an investigational agent under review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

20 May 2013

Shire's scientific data on treatments for psychiatric disorders to be presented at APA meeting

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces that it will present scientific data in 7 poster presentations at the American Psychiatric Association 166th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, May 18-22.

20 May 2013

Journal provides guidance for clinicians on prescribing exercise for depressed patients

Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder, both when used alone and in combination with other treatments.

13 May 2013

Targacept reports net loss of $8.1 million in first quarter 2013

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics™, today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013.

7 May 2013

NeuroSigma receives Class 2 medical device license for Monarch eTNS System from Health Canada

NeuroSigma, Inc., a California-based medical device company, today announced that it has received a Class 2 medical device license for its Monarch eTNS (external trigeminal nerve stimulation) System from Health Canada.

2 May 2013

Neuralstem gets approval from FDA for dosing cohort patients in NSI-189 Phase Ib in MDD treatment

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin dosing the third and final cohort of patients in its ongoing Phase Ib to test the safety of NSI-189 in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

26 Apr 2013

Alkermes reports topline results from phase 2 study of ALKS 5461 drug for major depressive disorder

Alkermes plc (NASDAQ: ALKS) today announced positive preliminary topline results from a phase 2 study of ALKS 5461, its novel drug compound for major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients who have an inadequate response to standard therapies for clinical depression.

22 Apr 2013

Junk DNA plays important role in brain development

Specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases, UC San Francisco scientists have found.

16 Apr 2013

REFRESH study: RP5063 shows promise for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

Reviva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery and development company, today announces top-line results from REFRESH, a phase 2 clinical trial of RP5063 for the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

10 Apr 2013

TBI can increase depression, personality impulsivity, PTSD in PNES patients

A new study by a Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that traumatic brain injury (TBI) can significantly increase the odds of having major depression, personality impulsivity and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES).

9 Apr 2013

Patent covering methods of treating ALS receives notice of allowance

Neuralstem, Inc. announced today that it received a notice of allowance for patent application 12/404,841. This patent covers methods for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig 's disease) with expanded spinal cord stem cells, including NSI-566.

6 Apr 2013

Biological psychiatry shares progress in identifying genomic predictors of antidepressant response

Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression, but many individuals do not experience symptom relief from treatment.

30 Mar 2013

Research suggests depression can increase risk of heart problems later in life

Teens who were depressed as children are far more likely than their peers to be obese, smoke cigarettes and lead sedentary lives, even if they no longer suffer from depression.

16 Mar 2013

Weill Cornell receives NIMH grant to discover novel biomarkers for chronic fatigue syndrome

Weill Cornell Medical College has been awarded more than $1.9 million by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health to lead an innovative research study using advanced neuroimaging and clinical evaluations of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

8 Mar 2013

Family-focused therapy improves mood symptoms in youth at risk of bipolar disorder

A study published in the February 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that children and adolescents with major depression or subthreshold forms of bipolar disorder - and who had at least one first-degree relative with bipolar disorder - responded better to a 12-session family-focused treatment than to a briefer educational treatment.