A recent study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress in Milan showed that the psychedelic compound psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” provided similar improvements in depression to the conventional antidepressant escitalopram, an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). The findings, also published in the journal eClinicalMedicine,…

Reporting in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz Medical Campus have unveiled the direct impact of antidepressant use during pregnancy on fetal brain development. Led by assistant professor in the department of pharmacology at CU Anschutz Won Chan Oh, PhD, the study sheds light on the…

Research led by Amsterdam UMC shows artificial intelligence (AI) can help predict whether patients will respond to antidepressants after only one week. As reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the researchers used a combination of machine learning, brain scans and clinical information to predict a patient’s response to the…

A genetic test that helps determine the best medication for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate substantive health system savings and greatly improve patient outcomes, according to new research from the University of British Columbia (UBC). The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), estimates that in British…

Electroencephalography (EEG) could help predict whether someone will benefit from a specific antidepressant medication, research suggests. A predictive model based on electrical activity readings in the brain was able to determine response to two distinct selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in more than 60% of the cases studied. The findings…

Antidepressant use during pregnancy combined with inflammation may heighten the risk of lifelong neurodevelopmental changes in babies’ brains, such as those linked to autism, new research from the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine suggests. The study appears in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. “Our results might help to explain…

A biomarker in human platelets that tracks the extent of depression has been found by researchers at the University of Chicago. This proof-of-concept study builds off of previous work that has shown, in humans and animal models, that depression is consistent with decreased adenylyl cyclase — a small molecule inside…

Scientists at Penn State College of Medicine have found that the antidepressant paroxetine can halt the progression of osteoarthritis (OA), and regenerate damaged cartilage in the joints of mice. The team’s study found that paroxetine inhibited GRK2, an enzyme found at high levels in both human tissue and mouse models…

“On a scale of one to ten, how are you feeling today?” That question—typically accompanied by a series of “smiley faces” that mutate from sad to happy—and others relating to appetite, sleep, mood, energy, concentration, and more are often the first thing a patient has to address when checking in…

AviadoBio and Astellas Pharma have announced a potential $2.5B+ agreement for AVB-101, an investigational AAV-based gene therapy in Phase I/II development for patients with frontotemporal dementia with progranulin mutations (FTD-GRN). The deal involves $50M upfront. Adam Pearson, chief strategy officer, Astellas, said “AVB-101 represents a truly innovative approach to the…

Clinical trials are where most drugs go to die, but they don’t need to stay gathering dust on the shelves for an eternity or ultimately disintegrate. Derisking is always important in drug development, especially when dealing with the central nervous system (CNS), which has experienced lower success rates historically and,…

A report published in 2023, estimates that over 40% of adults in the U.S. have obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 kg/m2. While not everyone in this group is unwell, there is no doubt that obesity increases the risk of associated health conditions such as…

Coronary artery disease and major depression may be genetically interconnected via inflammatory pathways, according to researchers at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). They used transcriptome-wide association scans to map single nucleotide polymorphisms involved in regulating the expression of genes associated with both CAD…

Ohio State University researchers have published a study that shows treating people with heart disease who have symptoms of depression and anxiety significantly decreased visits to the emergency room and rehospitalizations. The research, published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, noted that depression and anxiety are common…

Oriana Papin-ZoghbiCEO and co-founder, AOA Dx Women have been severely underserved when it comes to their health,” says Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, CEO and co-founder of AOA Dx, which is based in Boulder, CO. Bold as that statement sounds, many experts and organizations around the world point out…