Science News About Treatments
- NIMH’s Carlos Zarate Jr., M.D., Elected to National Academy of Medicine
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• Institute Update
Carlos Zarate Jr., M.D., chief of the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch within the NIMH Intramural Research Program, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
- Neural Signature Identifies People Likely to Respond to Antidepressant Medication
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• Press Release
NIH-funded research uses machine learning algorithm to predict individual response to a commonly-prescribed antidepressant.
- Side Effects Mild, Brief with Single Antidepressant Dose of Intravenous Ketamine
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• Press Release
A single, low-dose ketamine infusion was relatively free of side effects for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
- NIH Announces Funding Awards for National Early Psychosis Learning Community
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• Press Release
NIMH awarded six research grants for studies to develop a learning health care system for the treatment of early psychosis.
- Bench-to-Bedside: NIMH Research Leading to Brexanolone, First-Ever Drug Specifically for Postpartum Depression
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• Media Advisory
FDA approval of the postpartum depression treatment brexanolone represents the final phase of a bench-to-bedside journey for this drug — a journey that began in the NIMH Intramural Research Program. NIMH experts are available to provide information on postpartum depression and the importance of, and the science underlying, this new drug.
- Dynamic Associations Among Motor Activity, Sleep, Energy, and Mood Could Suggest New Focus for Depression Treatment
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• Science Update
A new study looking at interactions among sleep, energy, activity level, and mood suggests that instability in activity and sleep systems could lead to mood changes. The findings suggest new targets for depression treatment.
- Studies Support Use of Team-Based Care for Early Psychosis
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• Science Update
Two recent studies add to the evidence that team-based early intervention services are feasible in real-world health care settings and result in improved outcomes for patients.
- Team-based Care Optimizes Medication Treatment for First Episode Psychosis
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• Science Update
Findings from NIMH’s Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) project indicate that team-based coordinated specialty care (CSC) for first episode psychosis (FEP) results in more optimal prescribing of antipsychotics and fewer side effects when compared with typical community care.
- A Shorter—but Effective—Treatment for PTSD
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• Science Update
Research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that a shorter therapy (written exposure therapy) may be just as effective as lengthier first-line treatments for PTSD.
- Therapy Reduces Risk in Suicidal Youth
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• Science Update
A recent clinical trial of a psychotherapy called dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)—which has been shown to be effective in reducing suicide-related behavior in adults—showed that DBT can also reduce suicide attempts and suicidal behavior in adolescents.
- Delay in HIV Treatment Associated with Brain Atrophy
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• Science Update
People infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, known as HIV, display reductions in brain volume compared with people who are not infected with HIV, but now an NIMH-funded study has shed light on the course of this deterioration and shows that antiretroviral treatment started in the first few years of infection may stop these brain changes.
- Molecular Secrets Revealed: Antipsychotic Docked in its Receptor
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• Press Release
Scientists have deciphered the molecular structure of a widely-prescribed antipsychotic docked in its key human brain receptor. The discovery may hold clues to designing better treatments for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.
- Guidelines published for treating PANS/PANDAS
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• Science Update
An expert panel has published guidelines for treatment of Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and a subset of patients diagnosed with PAN Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS).
- Imaging Pinpoints Brain Circuits Changed by PTSD Therapy
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• Science Update
Using brain imaging to track the effects of treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), scientists have identified a brain circuit on which a frequently used and effective psychotherapy (prolonged exposure) acts to quell symptoms. The findings help explain why the neural circuit identified is a promising target for additional treatment development, including brain stimulation therapies.
- Pediatrics-based Brief Therapy Outdoes Referral for Youths with Anxiety and Depression
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• Science Update
A streamlined behavioral therapy delivered in a pediatrics practice offered much greater benefit to youth with anxiety and depression than a more standard referral to mental health care with follow-up in a clinical trial comparing the two approaches.
- NIMH to Host Multimodal Brain Stimulation Speaker Series
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• Science Update
Beginning May 31, 2017, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will launch a speaker series intended to bring together leaders in the field conducting research using non-invasive brain stimulation and functional imaging including EEG, fMRI, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
- Brain “Relay” Also Key to Holding Thoughts in Mind
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• Press Release
Long overlooked as a mere “relay,” an egg-like structure in the middle of the brain also turns out to play a pivotal role in tuning-up thinking circuity. A trio of studies in mice are revealing that the thalamus sustains the ability to distinguish categories and hold thoughts in mind. It might even become a target for interventions for psychiatric disorders marked by working memory problems, such as schizophrenia.
- Prescribing Patterns Change Following Direct Marketing Restrictions
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• Press Release
A study of how policies restricting pharmaceutical promotion to physicians affect medication prescribing found that physicians in academic medical centers (AMCs) prescribed fewer of the promoted drugs, and more non-promoted drugs in the same drug classes, following policy changes to restrict marketing activities at those medical centers.
- Revealed: LSD Docked in its Human Brain Target
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• Science Update
Scientists have discovered the molecular structure of LSD in its human brain receptor.
- Sex Hormone–Sensitive Gene Complex Linked to Premenstrual Mood Disorder
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• Press Release
Researchers have discovered molecular mechanisms that may underlie a woman’s susceptibility to disabling irritability, sadness, and anxiety in the days leading up to her menstrual period.