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- Gene Influences Antidepressant Response
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March 15, 2006
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Press Release
Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at NIH has discovered. Having two copies of one version of a gene that codes for a component of the brain’s mood―regulating system increased the odds of a favorable response to an antidepressant by up to 18 percent, compared to having two copies of the other, more common version.
- Depression Model Leaves Mice with Molecular Scar
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February 27, 2006
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Press Release
In addition to triggering a depression-like social withdrawal syndrome, repeated defeat by dominant animals leaves a mouse with an enduring “molecular scar” in its brain that could help to explain why depression is so difficult to cure, suggest researchers funded by NIMH.
- Lithium Blocks Enzyme To Help Cells’ Clocks Keep On Tickin’
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February 17, 2006
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Science Update
NIMH-funded researchers have discovered how lithium likely fixes body clocks gone awry, stabilizing sleep-wake cycles and other daily rhythms disturbed along with mood in bipolar disorder.
- Mice Lacking Social Memory Molecule Take Bullying in Stride
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February 9, 2006
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Press Release
The social avoidance that normally develops when a mouse repeatedly experiences defeat by a dominant animal disappears when it lacks a gene for a memory molecule in a brain circuit for social learning, scientists funded by NIMH have discovered.
- Nobelist Discovers Antidepressant Protein in Mouse Brain
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January 6, 2006
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Press Release
A protein that seems to be pivotal in lifting depression has been discovered by a Nobel Laureate researcher funded by NIMH.
- Trust-Building Hormone Short-Circuits Fear In Humans
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December 7, 2005
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Press Release
A brain chemical recently found to boost trust appears to work by reducing activity and weakening connections in fear-processing circuitry.
- Gene Knockout Scores a Fearless Mouse
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November 22, 2005
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Press Release
Knocking out a gene in the brain's fear hub creates mice unperturbed by situations that would normally trigger instinctive or learned fear responses.
- Teens with Deletion Syndrome Confirm Gene’s Role in Psychosis
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October 23, 2005
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Press Release
A study in youth who are missing part of a chromosome is further implicating a suspect gene in schizophrenia.
- NIH Joined by Advocacy Groups to Fund Research on Autism Susceptibility Genes
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October 18, 2005
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Press Release
Five institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and three private autism organizations have formed a consortium to pursue their common goal of understanding a devastating disorder.
- Scientists Uncover New Clues About Brain Function in Human Behavior
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July 10, 2005
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Press Release
Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a genetically controlled brain mechanism responsible for social behavior in humans — one of the most important but least understood aspects of human nature.
