An antidepressant drug lengthens tiny worms' lives and offers hope of humans living longer too, US scientists say.
In the study, detailed in journal Nature, nematode worms were exposed to 88,000 chemicals in turn and mianserin extended lifespan by almost a third.
The drug seems to mimic the effects on the body of the only known animal long-life regime - virtual starvation.
Experts said the findings might point to there being genes in humans that could be targeted to increase lifespan.
READ MORE @ BBC
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Hormonal Changes And Depression: What Is The Connection?
Women are more susceptible to mood disorders and depression during hormonal transitions, such as pregnancy, postpartum and perimenopause, according to a new report by the Society for Women's Health Research, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, released at a media briefing held at the Palace Hotel in New York City.
The report summarizes a June 2007 thought leaders' roundtable of eight national experts convened by the Society and the National Institute of Mental Health to discuss current efforts to understand the effects of hormonal transitions on mood disorders in women and to make recommendations for future research.
READ MORE@MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
The report summarizes a June 2007 thought leaders' roundtable of eight national experts convened by the Society and the National Institute of Mental Health to discuss current efforts to understand the effects of hormonal transitions on mood disorders in women and to make recommendations for future research.
READ MORE@MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Brain scans 'may detect OCD risk'
Brain scans may be able to reveal which people are at genetic risk of developing obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), researchers say.
Individuals with OCD and their close relatives have distinctive patterns in their brain structure, a team at Cambridge University found.
The genes responsible remain unknown, but it appears they change the brain's anatomy, which may aid diagnosis.
The study is published in the latest edition of the journal Brain.
OCD is an anxiety disorder in which the person is compelled by irrational fears and thoughts to repeat seemingly needless actions over and over again.
It can manifest itself in repetitive behaviours, such as excessive hand washing, cleaning or repeated checking, affects 2%-3% of the population and is known to run in families.
READ MORE @ BBC
Individuals with OCD and their close relatives have distinctive patterns in their brain structure, a team at Cambridge University found.
The genes responsible remain unknown, but it appears they change the brain's anatomy, which may aid diagnosis.
The study is published in the latest edition of the journal Brain.
OCD is an anxiety disorder in which the person is compelled by irrational fears and thoughts to repeat seemingly needless actions over and over again.
It can manifest itself in repetitive behaviours, such as excessive hand washing, cleaning or repeated checking, affects 2%-3% of the population and is known to run in families.
READ MORE @ BBC
Monday, November 26, 2007
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Repels Severe Depression
Transcranial magnetic stimulation significantly reduces acute symptoms of major depression and offers an alternative to conventional therapy, investigators in a multicenter trial have concluded.
Patients treated with transcranial magnetic stimulation had almost a twofold higher remission rate at six weeks compared with patients who received sham therapy in the randomized study, John P. O'Reardon, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues reported in the Dec. 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry.
As many as 40% of patients with major depression do not get adequate improvement in symptoms with medication and psychotherapy, the investigators noted. Depression may progress into treatment-resistant illness for which transcranial magnetic stimulation could be useful.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation involves discharge of a time-varying current from an insulated coil placed on the scalp surface. The discharge generates a brief dynamic magnetic field that induces current flow when reaching a conductive medium, such as neural tissue. The current offers the potential to modulate neural circuitry in a therapeutic fashion.
Patients treated with transcranial magnetic stimulation had almost a twofold higher remission rate at six weeks compared with patients who received sham therapy in the randomized study, John P. O'Reardon, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues reported in the Dec. 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry.
As many as 40% of patients with major depression do not get adequate improvement in symptoms with medication and psychotherapy, the investigators noted. Depression may progress into treatment-resistant illness for which transcranial magnetic stimulation could be useful.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation involves discharge of a time-varying current from an insulated coil placed on the scalp surface. The discharge generates a brief dynamic magnetic field that induces current flow when reaching a conductive medium, such as neural tissue. The current offers the potential to modulate neural circuitry in a therapeutic fashion.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Ritalin: The scandal of kiddy coke
When he was in the throes of his worst tantrums, Daniel Fletcher would rip wallpaper off the walls at home and hit and kick anyone who came near him.
Once, he put his pet mouse in the microwave. On another occasion he jumped out of a moving car.
He was first diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the age of two, and just three years later the little boy was prescribed the amphetamine-like drug Ritalin.
The effect, says his mother Hayley, was a loss of appetite but no difference in his behaviour.
"So the doctor kept upping the doses until he was on six times the normal dose, yet he was still hyperactive."
Eight months ago, Daniel, now 14, was put on Risperdal - an antipsychotic drug usually given to schizophrenics.
"It was as if my son had been replaced by a doped-up zombie,' says Hayley, 35, who took him off it a month later.
READ MORE @ DAILY MAIL
Once, he put his pet mouse in the microwave. On another occasion he jumped out of a moving car.
He was first diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the age of two, and just three years later the little boy was prescribed the amphetamine-like drug Ritalin.
The effect, says his mother Hayley, was a loss of appetite but no difference in his behaviour.
"So the doctor kept upping the doses until he was on six times the normal dose, yet he was still hyperactive."
Eight months ago, Daniel, now 14, was put on Risperdal - an antipsychotic drug usually given to schizophrenics.
"It was as if my son had been replaced by a doped-up zombie,' says Hayley, 35, who took him off it a month later.
READ MORE @ DAILY MAIL
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Trials in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Highlight Group Therapy, Escitalopram, and Anticonvulsants: Presented at CPA
The latest research on the management of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) suggests that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can be as effective in groups and in the office as it is in one-on-one sessions and in the home. Also, the antidepressant escitalopram and anticonvulsants topiramate and lamotrigine may play a more important therapeutic role than has previously been recognised.
Pratap Chokka, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, University of Alberta, Psychiatrist, Grey Nuns Hospital, Edmonton, Canada, presented the latest findings on the management of OCD here on November 17 at the 57th Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA).
Currently, CBT is a mainstay of treatment for OCD. As a stand-alone treatment, it has been found in some studies to be as effective as antidepressants. While one-on-one CBT therapy was believed until recently to be the most effective option, 2007 data has revealed that, in fact, both individual and group therapy are effective. While response rates were faster with individual therapy, overall response rates were similar with both modalities. This is an important finding for a real world setting, where patients are often on waiting lists to receive CBT, said Dr. Chokka.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Pratap Chokka, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, University of Alberta, Psychiatrist, Grey Nuns Hospital, Edmonton, Canada, presented the latest findings on the management of OCD here on November 17 at the 57th Annual Conference of the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA).
Currently, CBT is a mainstay of treatment for OCD. As a stand-alone treatment, it has been found in some studies to be as effective as antidepressants. While one-on-one CBT therapy was believed until recently to be the most effective option, 2007 data has revealed that, in fact, both individual and group therapy are effective. While response rates were faster with individual therapy, overall response rates were similar with both modalities. This is an important finding for a real world setting, where patients are often on waiting lists to receive CBT, said Dr. Chokka.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Dementia relief, with a huge side effect
The off-label use of some drugs is helping elderly patients, but may be killing thousands.
Two years ago, federal regulators sounded a dire warning: Elderly people with dementia who take drugs like Seroquel, Risperdal and Zyprexa could suffer the ultimate side effect.
They could die.
Yet today, about one in four nursing home residents still take these antipsychotic drugs. Sales to the elderly continue to rise, generating a total of $13-billion in revenues for their manufacturers this year.
The disconnect between government warnings about the increased risk of death and physician prescribing practices led a prominent Food and Drug Administration safety expert to make a stunning estimate.
Dr. David Graham, who had blown the whistle on the dangers of Vioxx, was back before a congressional panel in February. He testified that Zyprexa and other antipsychotics kill about 15,000 nursing home residents each year.
His pronouncement did not spark any followup investigations; it did not prompt government-sponsored research for safer alternatives. Instead, there was resounding silence.
READ MORE @ ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Two years ago, federal regulators sounded a dire warning: Elderly people with dementia who take drugs like Seroquel, Risperdal and Zyprexa could suffer the ultimate side effect.
They could die.
Yet today, about one in four nursing home residents still take these antipsychotic drugs. Sales to the elderly continue to rise, generating a total of $13-billion in revenues for their manufacturers this year.
The disconnect between government warnings about the increased risk of death and physician prescribing practices led a prominent Food and Drug Administration safety expert to make a stunning estimate.
Dr. David Graham, who had blown the whistle on the dangers of Vioxx, was back before a congressional panel in February. He testified that Zyprexa and other antipsychotics kill about 15,000 nursing home residents each year.
His pronouncement did not spark any followup investigations; it did not prompt government-sponsored research for safer alternatives. Instead, there was resounding silence.
READ MORE @ ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Study Questions 'Real World' Benefits of Newer Antipsychotics
The second-generation antipsychotics may not change the compromised neurobiology that underlies cognitive deficits.
Are the cognitive benefits claimed by manufacturers of second-generation antipsychotics an artificial result of repetitive practice in test conditions?
That's what a randomized trial of risperidone and olanzapine comparing cognitive improvements among first-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls suggests. Risperidone is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica as Risperdal, and olanzapine is marketed by Eli Lilly and Co. as Zyprexa.
The study, reported in the October Archives of General Psychiatry, found that the cognitive improvements among patients were consistent in magnitude with the "practice effects"—the effects of exposure, familiarity, and procedural learning that naturally occur in test conditions—seen in healthy patients.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Are the cognitive benefits claimed by manufacturers of second-generation antipsychotics an artificial result of repetitive practice in test conditions?
That's what a randomized trial of risperidone and olanzapine comparing cognitive improvements among first-episode schizophrenia patients and healthy controls suggests. Risperidone is marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica as Risperdal, and olanzapine is marketed by Eli Lilly and Co. as Zyprexa.
The study, reported in the October Archives of General Psychiatry, found that the cognitive improvements among patients were consistent in magnitude with the "practice effects"—the effects of exposure, familiarity, and procedural learning that naturally occur in test conditions—seen in healthy patients.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Lower Response Rates To Antidepressants Found With African-Americans, Latinos
Drawing from data in the nation's largest real-world study of treatment-resistant depression, a team led by researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center reported in November's Medical Care journal that African-Americans and Latinos didn't respond as well as whites to medication for their depression.
The study suggests that the lower response rates may stem from differences in socioeconomic background -- rather than race or ethnicity per se. When some of the socioeconomic and health disparities present when subjects entered the study were taken into account, the researchers found the response to antidepressant medications was more similar among all groups.
Dr. Ira Lesser, a LA BioMed investigator who authored the report along with a team of researchers including LA BioMed investigator Daniel B. Castro, said these findings suggest African-Americans and Latinos from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may need more than medication to be treated successfully for depression.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
The study suggests that the lower response rates may stem from differences in socioeconomic background -- rather than race or ethnicity per se. When some of the socioeconomic and health disparities present when subjects entered the study were taken into account, the researchers found the response to antidepressant medications was more similar among all groups.
Dr. Ira Lesser, a LA BioMed investigator who authored the report along with a team of researchers including LA BioMed investigator Daniel B. Castro, said these findings suggest African-Americans and Latinos from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may need more than medication to be treated successfully for depression.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Monday, November 19, 2007
ADHD Drugs Ineffective Over The Long Term
Apart from being ineffective over the long term, ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) drugs may also undermine your child's physical growth, a BBC television program, Panorama, has revealed. Scientists seem to be saying that claims made about ADHD drugs some years ago were overstated.
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
READ MORE @ MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
READ MORE @ MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
ADHD Drugs Ineffective Over The Long Term
Apart from being ineffective over the long term, ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) drugs may also undermine your child's physical growth, a BBC television program, Panorama, has revealed. Scientists seem to be saying that claims made about ADHD drugs some years ago were overstated.
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
A long-term monitoring program involving 600 kids across the United States since the beginning of the 1990s was shown in the TV program - with some of its results. It is called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. The study concluded that over the long term, such ADHD drugs as Concerta and Ritalin have no demonstrable benefit for children - long term means after three years of taking the drug(s).
The use of ADHD drugs in much of the developed world has doubled over the last five years - many say it has become a cure-all for bad behavior.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Moody Is the New Bipolar
In Eugene Jarecki's documentary film Why We Fight, about the U.S. military-industrial complex, U.S. foreign policy critic Chalmers Johnson states: "I guarantee you when war becomes that profitable, you are going to see more of it." Similarly, as mental illness has become extremely profitable, we are seeing more of it.
On September 4, 2007, the New York Times reported, "The number of American children and adolescents treated for bipolar disorder increased 40-fold from 1994 to 2003 ... Drug makers and company-sponsored psychiatrists have been encouraging doctors to look for the disorder."
Not too long ago, a child who was irritable, moody, and distractible and who at times sounded grandiose or acted without regard for consequences was considered a "handful." In the U.S. by the 1980s, that child was labeled with a "behavioral disorder" and today that child is being diagnosed as "bipolar" and "psychotic" -- and prescribed expensive antipsychotic drugs. Bloomberg News, also on September 4, 2007, reported, "The expanded use of bipolar as a pediatric diagnosis has made children the fastest-growing part of the $11.5 billion U.S. market for antipsychotic drugs."
READ MORE @ ALTERNET
On September 4, 2007, the New York Times reported, "The number of American children and adolescents treated for bipolar disorder increased 40-fold from 1994 to 2003 ... Drug makers and company-sponsored psychiatrists have been encouraging doctors to look for the disorder."
Not too long ago, a child who was irritable, moody, and distractible and who at times sounded grandiose or acted without regard for consequences was considered a "handful." In the U.S. by the 1980s, that child was labeled with a "behavioral disorder" and today that child is being diagnosed as "bipolar" and "psychotic" -- and prescribed expensive antipsychotic drugs. Bloomberg News, also on September 4, 2007, reported, "The expanded use of bipolar as a pediatric diagnosis has made children the fastest-growing part of the $11.5 billion U.S. market for antipsychotic drugs."
READ MORE @ ALTERNET
Friday, November 16, 2007
ADHD Brains Might Need More Growing Time
Scientists are divided on what causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which affects 3 to 5 percent of school-age children. Some say it's a developmental delay, while others argue that the brains of children with ADHD are abnormal from the start. One puzzle: Some, but not all, kids seem to "grow out" of the disorder, which can cause restlessness, inattention, and difficulty focusing. An intriguing new finding by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health, reported in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that for about half of kids with ADHD, the troubling symptoms they experience in childhood could be a result simply of slower—but otherwise normal—maturation of the brain.
What should harried parents make of the findings? U.S. News asked Judith Rapoport, a coauthor of the study and chief of the child psychology branch at the National Institute of Mental Health. She has pioneered efforts to study the relationship between brain structure and mental disorders.
Rapoport cautions that the research is in the early stages. The delays, which put areas of the brain used in higher order decision making behind schedule by an average of three years, were most evident in areas at the front of the brain's outer covering, or cortex, that house the ability to control thinking, attention, and planning. In some of the children and teens with ADHD, the brain regions reached peak thickness when the children averaged 10.5 years old, compared with 7.5 in children without ADHD.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
What should harried parents make of the findings? U.S. News asked Judith Rapoport, a coauthor of the study and chief of the child psychology branch at the National Institute of Mental Health. She has pioneered efforts to study the relationship between brain structure and mental disorders.
Rapoport cautions that the research is in the early stages. The delays, which put areas of the brain used in higher order decision making behind schedule by an average of three years, were most evident in areas at the front of the brain's outer covering, or cortex, that house the ability to control thinking, attention, and planning. In some of the children and teens with ADHD, the brain regions reached peak thickness when the children averaged 10.5 years old, compared with 7.5 in children without ADHD.
READ MORE @ US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Brain Chemicals Involved In Aggression Identified: May Lead To New Treatments
School shootings. Muggings. Murder. Road rage. After decreasing for more than a decade, the rate of violent crime in the United States has begun to inch up again. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, violent crime rose 2.3 percent in 2005 and 1.9 percent in 2006, the first steady increase since 1993.
And new studies are helping scientists gain deeper insight into the neurobiology of aggression and violence. One analysis of brain imaging studies has revealed that brain structures involved in making moral judgments are often damaged in violent individuals. Another study involving teenage boys suggests that disruptions in a brain region linked to impulsive, aggressive behavior may underlie a certain type of violent, reactive behavior.
Still other research has shed new light on the role that certain brain chemicals play in aggressive behavior, including in maternal aggression. And new animal studies reveal that aggressive encounters cause changes in the brains of aggressors as well as their victims that increase vulnerability to depression and immune-related illnesses.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
And new studies are helping scientists gain deeper insight into the neurobiology of aggression and violence. One analysis of brain imaging studies has revealed that brain structures involved in making moral judgments are often damaged in violent individuals. Another study involving teenage boys suggests that disruptions in a brain region linked to impulsive, aggressive behavior may underlie a certain type of violent, reactive behavior.
Still other research has shed new light on the role that certain brain chemicals play in aggressive behavior, including in maternal aggression. And new animal studies reveal that aggressive encounters cause changes in the brains of aggressors as well as their victims that increase vulnerability to depression and immune-related illnesses.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Pharmacological Management of Major Depressive Disorder
About 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression. Major depression is one of the main causes of disability adjusted life years (DALY) as measured by the global burden of disease.1 The lifetime risk of major depression is about 15% for men and about 30% for women.2 Numerous types of depression exist, such as melancholic, atypical, psychotic, postpartum, bipolar, resistant, and mixed depression.3 The most commonly encountered types of depression and specific recommendations for their pharmacologic management are discussed below.
Many medications are used for the management of major depression. These include tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), second generation atypical antidepressants (eg, bupropion, mirtazapine), psychostimulants (eg, methylphenidate), mood stabilizers (eg, lithium), and augmentation drugs (eg, triiodothyronine). Antidepressants work through a variety of mechanisms, a topic beyond the scope of this newsletter, but generally influence the function of neurotrasmitters such as norepinephrine, serotonin, or dopamine by exerting an impact on the interaction of these neurotransmitters with their receptors.
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
Many medications are used for the management of major depression. These include tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), second generation atypical antidepressants (eg, bupropion, mirtazapine), psychostimulants (eg, methylphenidate), mood stabilizers (eg, lithium), and augmentation drugs (eg, triiodothyronine). Antidepressants work through a variety of mechanisms, a topic beyond the scope of this newsletter, but generally influence the function of neurotrasmitters such as norepinephrine, serotonin, or dopamine by exerting an impact on the interaction of these neurotransmitters with their receptors.
READ MORE @ ABKHAZIA
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Why Quitting Smoking Is So Difficult
New findings clarify the brain mechanisms that explain many aspects of dependency on nicotine, the addictive substance in tobacco. Among them: Individual differences in brain chemistry can have a profound effect on a person's susceptibility to addiction, and smoking may predispose adolescents to mental disorders in adolescence and adulthood. In addition, researchers have identified a potential neural network that regulates the body's craving response and have demonstrated how smoking may affect decision-making.
"As the negative health consequences of smoking have become more and more obvious, the majority of smokers have attempted to quit," says Marina Picciotto, PhD, of Yale University. "Unfortunately, people who want to quit often find that they cannot, and recent neuroscience research has identified many of the molecular mechanisms that lead to nicotine addiction.
"It is notable that many who smoke cigarettes have affective disorders, and many who have affective disorders such as major depression also smoke cigarettes and find it much harder to quit. We need new treatments for smoking cessation based on neuroscientific evidence and we need to understand the interaction between smoking and affective disorders so we can target new therapies to people who have the hardest time quitting."
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
"As the negative health consequences of smoking have become more and more obvious, the majority of smokers have attempted to quit," says Marina Picciotto, PhD, of Yale University. "Unfortunately, people who want to quit often find that they cannot, and recent neuroscience research has identified many of the molecular mechanisms that lead to nicotine addiction.
"It is notable that many who smoke cigarettes have affective disorders, and many who have affective disorders such as major depression also smoke cigarettes and find it much harder to quit. We need new treatments for smoking cessation based on neuroscientific evidence and we need to understand the interaction between smoking and affective disorders so we can target new therapies to people who have the hardest time quitting."
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Antidepressants, Exercise, Age, Even Food Intake, Affect Generation Of New Brain Cells
Recent research shows that the production of new brain cells may be crucial for antidepressants to be effective and that the medication's effectiveness is strongly influenced by age. What's more, meal frequency, type of food, and physical exercise affect the brain's ability to manufacture these new cells.
For the first time in nonhuman primate models, scientists have documented the cause-and-effect relationship between antidepressant drugs and neurogenesis. The researchers found that the antidepressant drug fluoxetine improved the behavior of macaque monkeys with depression-like symptoms.
They also discovered that administering the drugs to normally behaving monkeys did not influence their behavior but did alter their brains by boosting neurogenesis in the hippocampus, an area involved in memory and learning.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
For the first time in nonhuman primate models, scientists have documented the cause-and-effect relationship between antidepressant drugs and neurogenesis. The researchers found that the antidepressant drug fluoxetine improved the behavior of macaque monkeys with depression-like symptoms.
They also discovered that administering the drugs to normally behaving monkeys did not influence their behavior but did alter their brains by boosting neurogenesis in the hippocampus, an area involved in memory and learning.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Friday, November 9, 2007
ADHD Medication Doesn't Work on Some Preschoolers - Children May Not Respond If They Have Other Disorders
Children diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may not respond to methylphenidate, otherwise known as brand name Ritalin, if the child suffers from other behavioral and social disorders. The number of coexisting conditions can diminish the effectiveness of the medication, according to a new look at a study from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
The Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study (PATS) was released last October, and showed that young children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were diagnosed with ADHD responded well to doses of methylphenidate. However, a new article published in the latest issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology reports that the effectiveness of methylphenidate lessens if the child has other disorders, such as anxiety disorders, conduct disorder, and/or oppositional defiant disorder.
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED CONTENT
The Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study (PATS) was released last October, and showed that young children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were diagnosed with ADHD responded well to doses of methylphenidate. However, a new article published in the latest issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology reports that the effectiveness of methylphenidate lessens if the child has other disorders, such as anxiety disorders, conduct disorder, and/or oppositional defiant disorder.
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED CONTENT
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Behavior therapy plus medication may help teens with depression and substance use disorders
The antidepressant fluoxetine combined with cognitive behavioral therapy appears as effective for treating depression among teens who also have substance use disorders as among those without substance abuse problems, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“Adolescents with substance use disorders (SUDs) have higher rates of depression (15 percent to 24 percent) than adolescents in the general population,” the authors write as background information in the article. “Comorbid [co-occuring] depression is also associated with more severe substance abuse, poorer drug treatment outcomes and higher relapse rates.”
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
“Adolescents with substance use disorders (SUDs) have higher rates of depression (15 percent to 24 percent) than adolescents in the general population,” the authors write as background information in the article. “Comorbid [co-occuring] depression is also associated with more severe substance abuse, poorer drug treatment outcomes and higher relapse rates.”
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
U.S. rejects Glaxo's gepirone ER antidepressant
U.S. regulators have rejected GlaxoSmithKline Plc's (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) experimental drug gepirone ER for adults with major depression.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a not approvable letter for the extended-release tablets, which Glaxo had licensed from privately owned Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals Inc in February, Europe's biggest drugmaker said on Saturday.
The news is a blow to Glaxo, which needs new drugs to make up for pending patent expiries on key blockbusters and a recent slump in sales of its second-biggest seller, the diabetes pill Avandia, which has been hit by fears over a possible link to heart attacks.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a not approvable letter for the extended-release tablets, which Glaxo had licensed from privately owned Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals Inc in February, Europe's biggest drugmaker said on Saturday.
The news is a blow to Glaxo, which needs new drugs to make up for pending patent expiries on key blockbusters and a recent slump in sales of its second-biggest seller, the diabetes pill Avandia, which has been hit by fears over a possible link to heart attacks.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Monday, November 5, 2007
Non-English Speakers Charge Bias in Prescription Labeling
Pharmacies across the city routinely fail to help non-English speakers understand their prescriptions, raising the chances that customers could harm themselves by taking medicines incorrectly, immigrant advocacy groups charge in a discrimination complaint that they plan to file today with the New York attorney general’s office.
The complaint names 16 pharmacies in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, most of them operated by chains. It argues that federal civil rights law and state health regulations require pharmacies to provide linguistic help to guarantee that people who speak little or no English receive equal access to health care. That assistance should include interpreters at pharmacies and written translations of medication instructions, the advocates say.
Nisha Agarwal, a lawyer for one of the groups filing the complaint, said the attorney general’s office had already issued subpoenas to several pharmacies listed in an earlier version of the complaint filed in July. The new version names more pharmacies, and an accompanying report includes more examples of comprehension problems non-English speakers have had.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
The complaint names 16 pharmacies in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, most of them operated by chains. It argues that federal civil rights law and state health regulations require pharmacies to provide linguistic help to guarantee that people who speak little or no English receive equal access to health care. That assistance should include interpreters at pharmacies and written translations of medication instructions, the advocates say.
Nisha Agarwal, a lawyer for one of the groups filing the complaint, said the attorney general’s office had already issued subpoenas to several pharmacies listed in an earlier version of the complaint filed in July. The new version names more pharmacies, and an accompanying report includes more examples of comprehension problems non-English speakers have had.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Aripiprazole Decreases Symptoms of Mania in Paediatric Bipolar Disorder: Presented at AACAP
Children and adolescents at the onset of bipolar disorder may achieve improvements in manic symptoms with aripiprazole, according to research presented here at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).
Lead author Kiki D. Chang, MD, Assistant Professor and Director, Pediatric Mood Disorders Clinic, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States, and colleagues undertook a 54-centre, 4-week study of 296 patients 10 to 17 years of age with bipolar disease.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Lead author Kiki D. Chang, MD, Assistant Professor and Director, Pediatric Mood Disorders Clinic, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States, and colleagues undertook a 54-centre, 4-week study of 296 patients 10 to 17 years of age with bipolar disease.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Concomitant Psychotropic Medications Overprescribed in Foster-Care Youth: Presented at AACAP
Nearly 20% of youths in foster care receiving psychotropic medications received two or more such drugs in the same drug class, in a study presented here at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).
Professionally developed monitoring guidelines would help to validate any necessary prescriptions for multiple psychotropic medications, noted lead author Julie M. Zito, PhD, MS, Associate Professor in Pharmacy and Psychiatry, Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
Dr. Zito and colleagues selected a random sample (n = 472) from a total of 32,135 Medicaid foster-care enrolees in Texas in 2004. All subjects were 19 years of age or younger (64% over the age of 10; 5% were age 4 years and under) and all received at least one psychotropic drug in the study year (2004).
The psychotropic drugs were classified under 8 drug descriptions: anticonvulsants; alpha agonists; antianxiolytics; antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, other); antipsychotics (atypical and conventional); ADHD drugs (amphetamines, methylphenidate, atomoxetine); lithium; and miscellaneous.
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Professionally developed monitoring guidelines would help to validate any necessary prescriptions for multiple psychotropic medications, noted lead author Julie M. Zito, PhD, MS, Associate Professor in Pharmacy and Psychiatry, Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
Dr. Zito and colleagues selected a random sample (n = 472) from a total of 32,135 Medicaid foster-care enrolees in Texas in 2004. All subjects were 19 years of age or younger (64% over the age of 10; 5% were age 4 years and under) and all received at least one psychotropic drug in the study year (2004).
The psychotropic drugs were classified under 8 drug descriptions: anticonvulsants; alpha agonists; antianxiolytics; antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, other); antipsychotics (atypical and conventional); ADHD drugs (amphetamines, methylphenidate, atomoxetine); lithium; and miscellaneous.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Friday, November 2, 2007
Previous Suicidality a Greater Risk Than Antidepressant Medication in Suicidal Teens: Presented at AACAP
Antidepressant drugs have a lesser effect on teenagers' risk of suicidality than do female gender and previous plans to kill oneself within the past year, according to research presented here at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).
Lead author Neera Ghaziuddin, MD, MRCPsych, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States explained that previous paediatric studies have not examined antidepressants in conjunction with other psychiatric medications in the teenage population. Additionally, antidepressant trials with depressed youth have generally excluded acutely suicidal patients.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Lead author Neera Ghaziuddin, MD, MRCPsych, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States explained that previous paediatric studies have not examined antidepressants in conjunction with other psychiatric medications in the teenage population. Additionally, antidepressant trials with depressed youth have generally excluded acutely suicidal patients.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Use of Antidepressants in Pregnancy Affects Neonatal Outcomes: Presented at AACAP
Babies born to mothers who take antidepressant medication during pregnancy have high levels of cortisol in cord-blood at birth, and their mothers are more likely to experience delivery complications, according to a study presented here at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).
When examined at 2 weeks of age, the infants of women taking antidepressants demonstrated more tremulousness and were more excitable than infants born to women not taking antidepressants.
The study results were presented by lead author Sheila Marcus, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Depression Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, on October 24.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
When examined at 2 weeks of age, the infants of women taking antidepressants demonstrated more tremulousness and were more excitable than infants born to women not taking antidepressants.
The study results were presented by lead author Sheila Marcus, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Depression Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, on October 24.
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
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