Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) News and Research

Latest Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) News and Research

Treatments for seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Bright white light therapy has been used to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) for more than 20 years.

7 Nov 2008

Genetic mutation linked to seasonal affective disorder

With the days shortening toward winter, many people will begin to experience the winter blahs.

4 Nov 2008

Different processes govern sight, light detection

A Johns Hopkins University biologist, in research with implications for people suffering from seasonal affective disorder and insomnia, has determined that the eye uses light to reset the biological clock through a mechanism separate from the ability to see.

27 Apr 2008

Different processes govern sight, light detection - findings could point toward help for SAD, insomnia patients

23 Apr 2008

New Sleep and Breathing Disorders Center at UT Southwestern

UT Southwestern Medical Center has assembled a comprehensive team of experts in pulmonary medicine, neurology, psychiatry, pediatrics, otolaryngology, surgery and rehabilitation medicine to work together in a new Sleep and Breathing Disorders Center.

10 Jan 2008

How might lack of light cause depression?

People troubled by depression usually experience their dark moods in an on-again, off-again fashion.

18 Dec 2007

Glasses designed to block blue light improve sleep and ADHD symptoms

Scientists at John Carroll University, working in its Lighting Innovations Institute, have developed an affordable accessory that appears to reduce the symptoms of ADHD. Their discovery also has also been shown to improve sleep patterns among people who have difficulty falling asleep.

13 Nov 2007

Connection between expression of clock genes and sleep

Genes responsible for our 24 hour body clock influence not only the timing of sleep, but also appear to be central to the actual restorative process of sleep, according to research published in the online open access journal BMC Neuroscience.

18 Oct 2007

Link found between a lack of vitamin D and pre-eclampsia

Researchers in the United States have found an association between vitamin D levels in pregnant women and the risk of pre-eclampsia; they say women who have a vitamin D deficiency early in their pregnancy are at risk from pre-eclampsia.

9 Sep 2007

What makes a simple biological clock tick?

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Vanderbilt University has analyzed the simplest known biological clock and figured out what makes it tick.

3 Apr 2007

Some tips for SAD sufferers

Experts say the months after Christmas when winter really sets in can be the most difficult for sufferers with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

4 Feb 2007

New drug will treat those winter blues

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given it's approval for a drug to treat a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

14 Jun 2006

FDA approves Wellbutrin X for treatment of seasonal depression

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Wellbutrin XL for prevention of major depressive episodes in patients with a history of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

13 Jun 2006

Seasonal depression affects hamsters

A new study suggests that hamsters may suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression during the dark days of winter, just as some humans do.

21 Nov 2005

Bright light therapy may aid patients with depressive and bipolar disorders

A report in the November Cell Metabolism reveals powerful effects of light on the adrenal glands, a finding that might explain the broad benefits of bright light therapy for a variety of conditions, including sleep and depressive disorders, according to researchers.

14 Nov 2005

Talk therapy effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder

The alterations start every year around October just after the end of daylight savings time. For most, the clock shift just adds an hour to the weekend -- but for sufferers of seasonal affective disorder, a syndrome involving recurring bouts of depression during fall and winter months, it marks the beginning of a difficult time of year when many forgo an after-work run for a nap, watch television instead of walk the dog, or sleep later in the morning.

30 Oct 2005

Serotonin may play a role in maintaining circadian rhythm

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have determined how serotonin decreases the body's sensitivity to light and that exposure to constant darkness leads to a decrease in serotonin levels in the brain of fruit flies.

12 Jul 2005

Brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter

The brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter, causing the mice to have more difficulty with some types of learning, a new study found.

15 May 2005

Light therapy effectively treats mood disorders

A study commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association and led by a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has found that light therapy effectively treats mood disorders, including seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other depressive disorders.

4 Apr 2005

Lighting up the human brain at night

Most people are aware that light affects human behaviour and can be used to treat disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, but now researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of Liege have found new evidence that light administered during the night immediately reduces sleepiness and boosts human brain function.

25 Oct 2004