Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

USPTO issues patent to Somaxon's Silenor food effect

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. patent no. 7,915,307, entitled "Methods of Improving the Pharmacokinetics of Doxepin."

30 Mar 2011

Stress affects sleep, mood and body weight: Study

In a new study that appeared in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers have found that stress may affect sleep, mood and ultimately body weight. The study found that people with high stress and poor sleep were less likely to achieve a 10-lb. weight loss goal.

29 Mar 2011

Medical expert says PSTD cases may increase following Japanese tsunami

The Japanese tsunami took quite a massive toll, injuring and killing thousands and causing billions of dollars in destruction. But looking beyond physical destruction, the tsunami took an emotional toll on many as well.

29 Mar 2011

Study links sleep and stress levels to weight loss

If you want to increase your chances of losing weight, reduce your stress level and get adequate sleep. A new Kaiser Permanente study found that people trying to lose at least 10 pounds were more likely to reach that goal if they had lower stress levels and slept more than six hours but not more than eight hours a night.

29 Mar 2011

Happiest at 70: Study

New research has suggested that a person is happiest after 70 years of age, as long as he or she enjoys good health, has sufficient income and is not lonely.

28 Mar 2011

AssureRx closes $11 million Series B financing

AssureRx Health, Inc. today announced the closing of an $11 million Series B financing. The personalized medicine company, which provides clinically-relevant information to help physicians select the right drug and the right dose for individual neuropsychiatric patients, will use the funds to expand direct sales and marketing for its first product, GeneSightRx®, and for second generation product development activities.

25 Mar 2011

Experts to discuss on neuroscience of emotion-related disorders

Can feeling happy in older age weaken cognition? Is the prevailing drug treatment model for mood disorders the only option? Is chronic sleep deprivation behind the meltdowns we have at home and at work?

25 Mar 2011

Two new studies on post-traumatic stress disorder

Two related studies released by this week by Geisinger Health System researchers identify specific genetic risks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and help identify key psychosocial predictors that may lead to PTSD.

25 Mar 2011

Study examines regional analgesia effect on long-term outcomes in soldiers with combat injuries

Little is known about the impact of early aggressive regional analgesia on short- and long-term pain and psychological outcomes of soldiers with major combat injuries.

25 Mar 2011

Behavioural therapy may benefit children with Tourette syndrome

Children with Tourette syndrome could benefit from behavioural therapy to reduce their symptoms, according to a new brain imaging study.

25 Mar 2011

HCG hormone therapy may benefit patients with intractable pain

Results from a small study of intractable pain patients being treated with the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone reported that they had experienced pain free hours in the past month. These results were presented at a poster session at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 27th Annual Meeting.

25 Mar 2011

U.S. statewide bank crises study finds no major impact of depression on mortality

A study published today provides a new perspective on the Great Depression of the 1930s. A widely held view is that there were remarkable improvements in life expectancy of over five years.

25 Mar 2011

Researchers identify gene that can predict hypersensitivity to epilepsy drug

Research published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. A multinational team of scientists led by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the University of Liverpool has identified a gene that could indicate if epilepsy patients starting a common drug treatment are likely to experience side-effects ranging from a mild skin irritation to the potentially fatal Steven-Johnson Syndrome.

25 Mar 2011

Children with epilepsy more likely to have psychiatric symptoms

A newly published report reveals that children with epilepsy are more likely to have psychiatric symptoms, with gender a determining factor in their development.

25 Mar 2011

Religious people more prone to obesity: Study explores link

A new study has shown that people who frequently attend religious services are significantly more likely to become obese by the time they reach middle age. The finding is surprising especially considering that religious people tend to be in better health than others, said study author Matthew J. Feinstein, a medical student at Northwestern University in Chicago. Feinstein said, “It highlights a particular group that appears to be at a greater risk of becoming obese and remaining obese…It's a group that may benefit from targeted anti-obesity interventions and from obesity prevention programs.”

24 Mar 2011

Brain's pleasure and reward circuitry gets a big boost after a sleepless night

A sleepless night can make us cranky and moody. But a lesser known side effect of sleep deprivation is short-term euphoria, which can potentially lead to poor judgment and addictive behavior, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

24 Mar 2011

After first intercourse men's satisfaction with appearance increases, but for women it decreases

Having sex for the first time can improve or degrade your self-image depending on whether you are male or female, according to Penn State researchers. On average, college-age males become more satisfied with their appearance after first intercourse, whereas college-age females become slightly less satisfied.

24 Mar 2011

Rexahn completes 33% of 300 patient enrollment in Serdaxin Phase IIb clinical trial for major depressive disorder

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it has enrolled 33 percent of the total projected patients required for its Phase IIb clinical trial of Serdaxin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).

24 Mar 2011

Death of parents can impact child's health

The death of parents entails an increase in their children's risk of dying. This is shown in a new study performed by Mikael Rostila, a researcher at the Center for Health Equity Studies in Sweden, and Jan Saarela, a researcher at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.

23 Mar 2011

Biologists decipher molecular code regulating availability of brain channel linked to neuronal excitability

A key question in protein biochemistry is how proteins recognize "correct" interaction partners in a sea of cellular factors. Nowhere is that more critical to know than in the brain, where interactions governing channel protein activity can alter an organism's behavior.

23 Mar 2011