depression

New drug class could have wide health impact

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

Vaptans are a new class of drug that target a wide variety of conditions by inhibiting vasopressin, which regulates the circulatory system. Among the new drugs in development are relcovaptan, which is being developed to treat painful periods as well as Raynaud's disease. Another group of vaptans are diuretics that remove water from a patient without affecting their balance of salt mineral. And vaptans in the pipeline target kidney failure, diabetic nephropathy depression, glaucoma and brain hemorrhage.

"This is a nice review of an emerging class of drugs," the Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Gary S. Francis tells HealthDay. "But it is a little early to know if they will prove to be highly useful."

- read the report from Medical News Today
- read the story from HealthDay

Compounds that rev up SSRI drugs

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

A researcher has identified a method for boosting the activity of antidepression drugs--an advance that could revolutionize the way these therapies work. Huge amounts of SSRI drugs are prescribed every year, even though they don't work about a third of the time and often take more than a month to begin having an effect.

Guillaume Lucas and a colleague, though, successfully tested their theory that the SSRI drugs could be revved up by activating a set of proteins that recognize their presence and play a key role in releasing the molecule responsible for lifting depression. They found two compounds that did just that; one from a chemical supply company and another that had been tested and abandoned in a study regarding irritable bowel syndrome. "We can expect therapeutic benefits to appear four to five times more rapidly," says Lucas.

- see this release
- read the article from Nature

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Controlling brain protein may modulate stress, mood

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 06:59:59 -0400

New research has shed fresh light on the role of the brain protein deltaFosB in combating depression and various emotional disorders. A team of scientists at UT Southwestern exposed mice to random shocks they couldn't escape from. Subsequently, they were allowed to escape the shocks, and the lag time each of the mice experienced in making their escape represents their level of "behavioral despair." The animals with the shortest lag time had the highest level of deltaFosB. Introducing the gene for deltaFosB also reduced their level of despair. High levels of deltaFosB were also linked to decreased activity of Substance P, a protein that regulates pain, stress and mood. The researchers published their findings in the journal Neuron.

- see the release
- check out the report from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

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