A new perspective argues that understanding the lifelong web of environmental exposures, from early childhood to older age, could unlock more precise strategies for preventing mental illness and improving mental health care. Throughout the lifespan, external exposome factors – including individual-level and structural exposures – are integrated within the body as the internal exposome. These … Read more
Two-year data show that adding VNS to standard care can produce lasting symptom, function, and quality-of-life benefits in one of the most difficult-to-treat depression populations. Study: Durability of the benefit of vagus nerve stimulation in markedly treatment-resistant major depression: a RECOVER trial report. Image credit: BigBlueStudio/Shutterstock.com In a recent study published in the International Journal … Read more
Summary: A new study suggests that SSRIs, commonly prescribed antidepressants, may reduce biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease. In a cohort of 191 individuals, AD patients on SSRIs had lower levels of plasma phosphorylated tau-181, a key indicator of disease severity. Brain scans also showed that SSRIs restored metabolic activity in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), … Read more
Researchers have developed a virtual reality-based system that shows promise in improving the differentiation between common mental health conditions, potentially paving the way for earlier and more personalized treatment. The work is published in the March edition of the peer-reviewed journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, with a subsequent (31 March) comment also being published in the same … Read more
The UPV/EHU study, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, has analyzed and compared the fatty acids in the blood of individuals with schizophrenia, of those with cannabis use disorder and of those with both diagnoses, with the aim of shedding light on new biomarkers and improving the understanding of the biological relationship between the … Read more
New postpartum depression research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine could lead to a blood test to identify women at risk and possibly even to a preventive treatment. The research suggests that pregnant women may have characteristic levels of certain molecules in their blood that can warn that they … Read more