http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Research from King's College London reveals the detailed mechanism behind how stress hormones reduce the number of new brain cells - a process considered to be linked to depression. The researchers identified a key protein responsible for the long-term detrimental effect of stress on cells, and importantly, successfully used a drug compound to block this effect, offering a potential new avenue for drug discovery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-effects-stress-brain-cells-clues.html Neuroscience Mon, 06 May 2013 15:00:15 EST news287057827 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers have found a new method for studying depression in rats that mirrors an aspect of the mood-related symptoms of the condition in humans. Until now, the lack of animal models that can replicate the emotional symptoms of psychiatric disorders displayed in humans has been a major obstacle for the development of treatments. It is hoped this new technique, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, will improve the efficacy testing of new therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-reveal-effective-therapies-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:30:02 EST news285581286 A Loyola University Medical Center psychiatrist is proposing a new subspecialty to diagnose and treat patients who suffer both depression and heart disease. He's calling it "Psychocardiology." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-evidence-link-depression-heart-disease.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:53:04 EST news280497105 Results from a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggest a link between untreated depression in older adults and decreased effectiveness of the herpes zoster, or shingles, vaccine. Older adults are known to be at risk for shingles, a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, and more than a million new cases occur each year in the U.S. The vaccine boosts cell-mediated immunity to the virus and can decrease the incidence and severity of the condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-link-untreated-depression-response-shingles.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:36:33 EST news280031767 (HealthDay)—Treating major depression safely and affordably is a challenge. Now, Brazilian researchers have found that two techniques often used individually produce better results when used together. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-electrical-brain-drug-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:20:04 EST news279392682 Neuroscience researchers from Tufts University have found that our star-shaped brain cells, called astrocytes, may be responsible for the rapid improvement in mood in depressed patients after acute sleep deprivation. This in vivo study, published in the current issue of Translational Psychiatry, identified how astrocytes regulate a neurotransmitter involved in sleep. The researchers report that the findings may help lead to the development of effective and fast-acting drugs to treat depression, particularly in psychiatric emergencies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-astrocytes-depression-therapy.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:05:04 EST news278154298 People who are depressed after a stroke may have a tripled risk of dying early and four times the risk of death from stroke than people who have not experienced a stroke or depression, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-depressed-survivors-triple-death.html Neuroscience Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:00:01 EST news277121473 Emory researchers announced results of a new study that has proven successful in the prevention of depression in people diagnosed with epilepsy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-web-based-epilepsy-related-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:30:01 EST news273838416 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University's Department for Health have found that introducing mood therapy into the classroom may not be the answer to treating depression in teenagers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-classroom-therapy-depression-teenagers.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 07 Nov 2012 08:48:32 EST news271500494 Depression takes a substantial toll on brain health. Brain imaging and post-mortem studies provide evidence that the wealth of connections in the brain are reduced in individuals with depression, with the result of impaired functional connections between key brain centers involved in mood regulation. Glial cells are one of the cell types that appear to be particularly reduced when analyzing post-mortem brain tissue from people who had depression. Glial cells support the growth and function of nerve cells and their connections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-brain-growth-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:11:52 EST news264247905 Depression in young adulthood can have long-lasting effects, potentially leading to a higher risk of death even decades later, suggests a new study in the Annals of Epidemiology. These findings highlight the importance of identifying and treating depression early. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-depression-young-adults-linked-higher.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:16:00 EST news264240947 A hormone with anti-diabetic properties also reduces depression-like symptoms in mice, researchers from the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio reported today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-hormone-curbs-depressive-like-symptoms-stressed.html Medical research Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:00:32 EST news261064391 Sportsmen and women dope with the blood hormone Epo to enhance their performance. Researchers from the University of Zurich now discovered by animal testing that Epo has a performance-enhancing effect in the brain shortly after injection and not only after days by improving oxygen transport in blood. As Epo also increases motivation, it could be useful in treating depression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-doping-drug-epo-impact-brain.html Medications Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:28:11 EST news258629285 (Medical Xpress) -- A new study from The Australian National University shows that online therapy programs can play a major and long-lasting role in treating depression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-internet-interventions-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:30:01 EST news241934354 (Medical Xpress) -- In a new study published in Nature, Lisa Monteggia from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center looks at how the drug ketamine, typically used as an anesthetic or a popular recreational drug for its hallucinogenic affect, works in the brain to treat severe clinical depression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-ketamine-brain-clinical-depression.html Medical research Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:00:01 EST news227417855