Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

Study investigates effects of antidepressant treatment in pain catastrophizing patients

A select population of patients having surgery experience what is called pain catastrophizing - an irrational thought process that leads a patient to perceive pain as worse than it actually is. Antidepressant medications reduce negative mood and might change this way of thinking, but according to a study published in the April edition of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, that may not be the case, at least for acute pain.

18 Mar 2015

Use of psychedelic drugs linked to less psychological distress, fewer suicidal thoughts

A history of psychedelic drug use is associated with less psychological distress and fewer suicidal thoughts, planning and attempts, according to new research from Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

10 Mar 2015

GeneSight test better predicts antidepressant outcomes for patients with depression

The combinatorial, multi-gene GeneSight test has been found to better predict antidepressant treatment outcomes for patients with depression, and their use of health care resources, than any of the individual genes that comprise the test, according to a peer-reviewed analysis by investigators from the Mayo Clinic and Assurex Health, and published online by The Pharmacogenomics Journal.

5 Mar 2015

Lexicon updates drug development progress, reports 2014 financial results

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated its drug development progress and reported financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2014.

4 Mar 2015

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Studies indicate that the majority of people with mood and anxiety disorders who receive the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI's, are not helped by these medications. SSRIs are designed to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is key to maintenance of mood.

4 Mar 2015

Anticholinergic medications associated with pneumonia risk in older people

Taking commonly used medications with anticholinergic effects is associated with a significantly higher risk for developing pneumonia in a study of more than 3,000 older Group Health patients living in the community--not in nursing homes.

3 Mar 2015

Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids may optimize brain serotonin concentrations and function

Although essential marine omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D have been shown to improve cognitive function and behavior in the context of certain brain disorders, the underlying mechanism has been unclear. In a new paper published in FASEB Journal by Rhonda Patrick, PhD and Bruce Ames, PhD of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, serotonin is explained as the possible missing link tying together why vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids might ameliorate the symptoms associated with a broad array of brain disorders.

27 Feb 2015

Study explores association between back pain and depression

Genetic factors help to explain the commonly found association between low back pain and depression, suggests a large study of twins in the March issue of PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

26 Feb 2015

Nicotine metabolite supports learning, memory by amplifying action of primary chemical messenger

Nicotine's primary metabolite supports learning and memory by amplifying the action of a primary chemical messenger involved in both, researchers report.

19 Feb 2015

Researchers close to novel therapy to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia

Involuntary dyskinetic movements induced by treatment with levodopa (L-dopa) are a common problem for people with Parkinson's disease. Now, however, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University in Sweden seem to be close to a novel therapy to this distressing side effect.

11 Feb 2015

Psychedelic drug prevents allergic asthma in mouse model

Research led by Charles Nichols, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has found that a psychedelic drug, (R)-DOI, prevents the development of allergic asthma in a mouse model.

10 Feb 2015

Mice genetically deficient in serotonin are more vulnerable to social stressors

Mice genetically deficient in serotonin -- a crucial brain chemical implicated in clinical depression -- are more vulnerable than their normal littermates to social stressors, according to a Duke study appearing this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

10 Feb 2015

Ildong Pharmaceutical to market BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) for weight management in South Korea

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that Ildong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., has informed Arena that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) for marketing for weight management in South Korea. Ildong will market and distribute BELVIQ in South Korea under its marketing and supply agreement with Arena's wholly owned subsidiary, Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH, or Arena GmbH.

3 Feb 2015

Alzheimer's drug Aricept (donepezil) linked to serious side effects

New warnings have been added to the prescribing information for the Alzheimer's drug Aricept (donepezil) advising of the risk of two rare but potentially serious conditions: muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) and a neurological disorder called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS).

21 Jan 2015

Unmet medication need in neuropathic pain

A systematic review and meta-analysis reveals that current treatments for neuropathic pain achieve only a moderate response in patients.

16 Jan 2015

Neurobiologists find paradoxical effect of abuse-related cues in infants, adults

Neurobiologists at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere have found a surprising and paradoxical effect of abuse-related cues in rat pups: those cues also can lower depressive-like behavior when the rat pups are fully grown.

14 Jan 2015

University of Copenhagen researchers move closer to developing antidote against cocaine addiction

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have gained new insight into the mechanism behind a protein dopamine transporter that could help in the development of future medical treatment against cocaine addiction.

14 Jan 2015

New UCLA study sheds light on why some people develop PTSD

Why do some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while others who suffered the same ordeal do not? A new UCLA discovery may shed light on the answer.

11 Jan 2015

Research findings could lead to new drug design for neurological diseases

A new intermediate step and unexpected enzymatic activity in a metabolic pathway in the body, which could lead to new drug design for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, has been discovered by researchers at Georgia State University.

8 Jan 2015

Different antidepressants may affect pregnant women differently

About 15 percent of women in the United States suffer from anxiety disorders and depression during their pregnancies, and many are prescribed antidepressants. However little is known about how early exposure to these medications might affect their offspring as they mature into adults.

23 Dec 2014

Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

Study investigates effects of antidepressant treatment in pain catastrophizing patients

Use of psychedelic drugs linked to less psychological distress, fewer suicidal thoughts

GeneSight test better predicts antidepressant outcomes for patients with depression

Lexicon updates drug development progress, reports 2014 financial results

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Anticholinergic medications associated with pneumonia risk in older people

Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids may optimize brain serotonin concentrations and function

Study explores association between back pain and depression

Nicotine metabolite supports learning, memory by amplifying action of primary chemical messenger

Researchers close to novel therapy to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia

Psychedelic drug prevents allergic asthma in mouse model

Mice genetically deficient in serotonin are more vulnerable to social stressors

Ildong Pharmaceutical to market BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) for weight management in South Korea

Alzheimer's drug Aricept (donepezil) linked to serious side effects

Unmet medication need in neuropathic pain

Neurobiologists find paradoxical effect of abuse-related cues in infants, adults

University of Copenhagen researchers move closer to developing antidote against cocaine addiction

New UCLA study sheds light on why some people develop PTSD

Research findings could lead to new drug design for neurological diseases

Different antidepressants may affect pregnant women differently

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Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

CellVoyant's AI-Powered Vision for the Future of Cell Therapy

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

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