Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

Study links chemical to inhibited milk synthesis, secretion in humans

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified the neurotransmitter serotonin as the chemical responsible for inhibiting milk production and secretion in human mammary glands.

9 Oct 2007

Taking antidepressants with painkillers dangerous

Taking antidepressants together with painkillers can substantially increase the risk of bleeding from the stomach, according to new research by the University of East Anglia.

9 Oct 2007

SSRIs may double risk of gastrointestinal bleeding

New research shows that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a group of drugs commonly used to treat depression, may double the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

9 Oct 2007

Anorexia as addictive as ectasy

French scientists say that anorexia is comparable to the drug Ecstasy as both appear to activate some of the same brain pathways

4 Oct 2007

Vanda Pharmaceuticals submits iloperidone NDA

Vanda Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for iloperidone, an investigational atypical antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia.

27 Sep 2007

Variations in two genes linked to suicidal thinking

Specific variations in two genes are linked to suicidal thinking that sometimes occurs in people taking the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants, according to a large study led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

27 Sep 2007

Genetic risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder identified

New research in primates suggests that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to the ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.

24 Sep 2007

Exercise as effective for depression as drugs

A study of adults suffering from depression has found that regular exercise is just as effective as medication for improving symptoms.

20 Sep 2007

Women more depressed and men more impulsive with reduced serotonin functioning

Women and men appear to respond differently to the same biochemical manipulation.

18 Sep 2007

Smoking-cessation may be in the genes

Whether a smoking-cessation drug will enable you to quit smoking may depend on your genes, according to new genotyping research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

18 Sep 2007

Antidepressant citalopram shows promise in treating symptoms of dementia

Researchers have found surprising evidence that an antidepressant (citalopram) may perform as well as a commonly-prescribed antipsychotic (risperidone) in the alleviation of severe agitation and psychotic symptoms of dementia.

11 Sep 2007

Addiction to chocolate

Chocolate is the most widely and frequently craved food. People readily admit to being 'addicted to chocolate' or willingly label themselves as 'chocoholics'. A popular explanation for this is that chocolate contains mood-enhancing (psychoactive) ingredients that give it special appeal.

10 Sep 2007

Childhood abuse predisposes women to health problems later in life

Childhood abuse is more common in women with migraine who suffer depression than in women with migraine alone, according to a study published in the September 4, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Sep 2007

Dapoxetine for the treatment of premature ejaculation.

Premature ejaculation (PE) is defined as “persistent or recurrent onset of orgasm and ejaculation with minimal sexual stimulation before, on, or shortly after penetration and before the person wishes it.”

29 Aug 2007

Potential new strategies for treating obsessive compulsive disorder

Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit.

24 Aug 2007

Depression over-diagnosed and many people just blue

An Australian psychiatrist has accused the medical profession of over-diagnosing depression, and says thousands of people are wrongly being prescribed drugs to treat it.

20 Aug 2007

Do you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of bowel function. Patients who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome have abdominal pain or discomfort accompanied by changes in bowel habits such as constipation or diarrhea (or both).

8 Aug 2007

UIC receives $9.6 million grant for autism research

The University of Illinois at Chicago has been awarded a $9.6 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to establish an Autism Center of Excellence.

7 Aug 2007

Tailor-made antidepressants

In spite that the causes of depression have not still been fully identified, scientists acknowledge that genetic and environmental factors play a common role in the onset of this disorder.

6 Aug 2007

Gene variation makes people with depression more likely to respond to the medication citalopram

A variation in a gene called GRIK4 appears to make people with depression more likely to respond to the medication citalopram (Celexa) than are people without the variation, a study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, has found.

3 Aug 2007