|
post your news
I
subscribe newsletter
I
contact us |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exploring the
antidepressant effects of testosterone
03rd April
2012
Philadelphia, PA |
|
A new study in
Biological Psychiatry
|
|
Testosterone, the primary
male sex hormone, appears to have antidepressant
properties, but the exact mechanisms underlying its
effects have remained unclear. Nicole Carrier and
Mohamed Kabbaj, scientists at Florida State
University, are actively working to elucidate these
mechanisms.
They've discovered that
a specific pathway in the hippocampus, a brain
region involved in memory formation and
regulation of stress responses, plays a major
role in mediating testosterone's effects,
according to their new report in Biological
Psychiatry.
Compared to men, women
are twice as likely to suffer from an affective
disorder like depression. Men with hypogonadism,
a condition where the body produces no or low
testosterone, also suffer increased levels of
depression and anxiety. Testosterone replacement
therapy has been shown to effectively improve
mood.
|
|
Although it may seem that much is already known,
it is of vital importance to fully characterize
how and where these effects are occurring so
that scientists can better target the
development of future antidepressant therapies.
To
advance this goal, the scientists performed
multiple experiments in neutered adult male
rats. The rats developed depressive-like
behaviors that were reversed with testosterone
replacement.
|
|
They also "identified a molecular pathway
called MAPK/ERK2 (mitogen activated protein
kinase/ extracellular regulated kinase 2) in
the hippocampus that plays a major role in
mediating the protective effects of
testosterone," said Kabbaj.
This suggests that the proper functioning of
ERK2 is necessary before the antidepressant
effects of testosterone can occur. It also
suggests that this pathway may be a
promising target for antidepressant
therapies.
Kabbaj added, "Interestingly, the beneficial
effects of testosterone were not associated
with changes in neurogenesis (generation of
new neurons) in the hippocampus as it is the
case with other classical antidepressants
like imipramine (Tofranil) and fluoxetine
(Prozac)."
In results published elsewhere by the same
group, testosterone has shown beneficial
effects only in male rats, not in female
rats.
|
|
|
|
The article is
"Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 2
Signaling in the Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus
Mediates the Antidepressant Effects of
Testosterone" by Nicole Carrier and Mohamed
Kabbaj (doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.11.028).
The article appears in Biological
Psychiatry, Volume
71, Issue 7 (April 1, 2012), published by
Elsevier.
Notes for editors
Full text of the article is available to
credentialed journalists upon request; contact
Rhiannon Bugno at +1 214 648 0880
orBiol.Psych@utsouthwestern.edu. Journalists
wishing to interview the authors may contact
Mohamed Kabbaj at +1 850 644 4930 or
Mohamed.Kabbaj@med.fsu.edu.
The
authors' affiliations, and disclosures of
financial and conflicts of interests are
available in the article.
About Biological
Psychiatry
Biological Psychiatry is
the official journal of the Society of
Biological Psychiatry, whose purpose is to
promote excellence in scientific research and
education in fields that investigate the nature,
causes, mechanisms and treatments of disorders
of thought, emotion, or behavior. In accord with
this mission, this peer-reviewed,
rapid-publication, international journal
publishes both basic and clinical contributions
from all disciplines and research areas relevant
to the pathophysiology and treatment of major
psychiatric disorders.
The
journal publishes novel results of original
research which represent an important new lead
or significant impact on the field, particularly
those addressing genetic and environmental risk
factors, neural circuitry and neurochemistry,
and important new therapeutic approaches.
Reviews and commentaries that focus on topics of
current research and interest are also
encouraged.
Biological Psychiatry is
one of the most selective and highly cited
journals in the field of psychiatric
neuroscience. It is ranked 4th out of 126
Psychiatry titles and 15th out of 237
Neurosciences titles in the Journal Citations
Reports® published by Thomson Reuters. The 2010
Impact Factor score forBiological
Psychiatry is
8.674.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of
scientific, technical and medical information
products and services. The company works in
partnership with the global science and health
communities to publish more than 2,000 journals,
including The Lancet and Cell, and close to
20,000 book titles, including major reference
works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online
solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect,
SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Mosby's
Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of
science and health professionals, and the SciVal
suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help
research and health care institutions deliver
better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A
global business headquartered in Amsterdam,
Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The
company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a
world-leading publisher and information
provider, which is jointly owned by Reed
Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker
symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL
(London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York
Stock Exchange).
Media contact
Rhiannon Bugno
Biological Psychiatry
Editorial Office
+1 214 648 0880
biol.psych@utsouthwestern.edu
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More News
I
add this page to your favorites |
|
|
  |
 A breakthrough in
understanding the biology and treatment of ovarian
cancer |
 |
Researchers at The Pennsylvania
State University College of Medicine,
Hershey, Pennsylvania have discovered
that the presence and integrity of the
opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr),
which mediates the inhibitory action of
opioid growth factor (OGF) on cell
proliferation, is a key to understanding
the progression and treatment of human
ovarian cancer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HIV Study Named '2011
Breakthrough of the Year' by Science |
 |
The journalScience has
chosen the HPTN 052 clinical trial, an
international HIV prevention trial
sponsored by the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
part of the National Institutes of
Health, as the 2011 Breakthrough of the
Year. The study found that if
HIV-infected heterosexual individuals
begin taking antiretroviral medicines
when their immune systems are relatively
healthy as opposed to delaying therapy
until the disease has advanced, they are
96 percent less likely to transmit the
virus to their uninfected partners.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
  |
|
Structure of a molecular copy machine |
 |
The
mitochondria are the cell’s power stations.
In animal cells, they supply energy in
usable form by converting nutrients into the
universal energy currency of the cell,
adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondria
possess their own DNA, and are inherited via
the maternal line. The mitochondrial DNA
codes for a small number of proteins that
are essential for energy production in the
organelle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why Some Monkeys Don't Get AIDS |
 |
Two studies published this
month in the Journal of
Clinical Investigation
provide a significant advance in
understanding how some species
of monkeys such as sooty
mangabeys and African green
monkeys avoid AIDS when infected
with SIV, the simian equivalent
of HIV.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Stem Cells Could Offer New
Source for Skin Grafts |
 |
Researchers are now one step
closer to being able to use skin tissue derived from
stem cells for the treatment of burn victims,
according to a study published November 21 in
The Lancet. By tweaking the way the cells are
grown in a Petri dish, a team of scientists at the
Institute...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wake Forest University
researchers make breakthrough |
 |
Stem cells found in the fluid that
surrounds fetuses in the womb may be more flexible in
treating diseases and conditions than originally
thought, researchers at Wake Forest University
said
yesterday. The study represents the second
potential major research breakthrough on stem cells by
the university's Institute of Regenerative Medicine in
nearly three years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Health-Care Debate Linked to Risk of Dying in US
and Europe |
 |
The current health care debate in the United States is
complicated. Trade-offs between heath care expenditures,
lifestyle choices and life expectancy have been
suggested but seldom clearly demonstrated. The U.S.
spends on average more than $45,000 per year on health
care for every 80 year ...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Strong alkaline substances can damage teeth |
 |
|
It has
long been known that acids can erode tooth enamel but a
new Swedish study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of
Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that strong alkaline
substances can damage teeth too - substances with high
pH values can destroy parts of the organic content of
the tooth, leaving the enamel more vulnerable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mechanism That Helps Bacteria
Avoid Destruction In Cells Identified |
 |
|
Infectious diseases currently
cause about one-third of all human deaths worldwide,
more than all forms of cancer combined. Advances in cell
biology and microbial genetics have greatly enhanced
understanding of the cause and mechanisms of infectious
diseases. Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University,
the Pasteur Institute in
Paris, and Yale University reported in
PLoS ONE, a way in which intracellular pathogens
exploit the biological attributes of their hosts in
order to escape destruction.
|
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has
decided to award the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
 |
|
The Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the
2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly to
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, MRC
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United
Kingdom
Thomas A. Steitz, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Ada E. Yonath, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot,
Israel
"for studies
of the structure and function of the ribosome"
|
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Telomere Copy Protection: Nobel Goes To
Scientists Who Solved How Chromosome Ends Work |
 |
The long,
thread-like
DNA
molecules
that carry
our genes
are packed
into
chromosomes,
the
telomeres
being the
caps on
their ends.
Elizabeth
Blackburn
and Jack
Szostak
discovered
that a
unique DNA
sequence in
the
telomeres
protects the
chromosomes
from
degradation.
Carol
Greider and
Elizabeth Blackburn identified telomerase, the enzyme
that makes telomere DNA. These discoveries explained how
the ends of the chromosomes are protected by the
telomeres and that they are built by ...
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Genetically Encoded Mouse Cells
Controlled By Light |
 |
UCSF researchers have
genetically encoded mouse cells to respond to light,
creating cells that can be trained to follow a light
beam or stop on command like microscopic robots. This is the first time
researchers have been able to import a light controlled
"on-off switch" from plants into a mammalian cell to
instantly control a variety of cell functions, the
researchers said. As such, it offers both a powerful new
tool in cancer and cardiovascular research, as well...
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Protein
aggregation is linked to many conformational
diseases |
 |
Researchers at the
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
have revealed the process by which proteins with a
tendency to cause conformational diseases such as
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, familial amyloidotic
polyneuropathy, familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy,
etc. finally end up causing them.
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S., Australian researchers
say single H1N1 vaccine dose protects adults against
virus |
 |
The
results of clinical trials have shown one dose of the
H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine is enough to offer adults
protection against the virus, U.S. and Australian
researchers said Thursday, the Associated Press reports
(Neergaard, 9/11).
"That means it should be possible to vaccinate — well
before the flu's expected midwinter peak — all the 159
million people that the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimate are in the high-risk groups:
pregnant women, people under 24 years old or caring for
infants, people with high-risk medical conditions and
health-care workers," the New York Times writes (McNeil,
9/10).
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Socioeconomic status plays no
role in brain's continued ability to function with
age |
 |
New UCLA research
suggests that for seniors age 70 and older,
socioeconomic status does not play a major role in the
brain's continued ability to function. However, seniors
who have never been married and widowers seem to perform
more poorly as they age. Previous studies on
age-related cognitive decline have not adequately
clarified the role demographics and socioeconomic status
might play in the rate of decline. Some small and
short-term studies have found small socioeconomic
differences in decline rates, while others have shown
none at all, leaving the issue murky at best.
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
Novel approach for developing an AIDS
vaccine |
 |
Based on studying simian immunodeficiency viruses
(SIVs) in African nonhuman primates, they propose an
additional new approach to the AIDS vaccine research
agenda in a commentary featured in the August issue of
Nature Medicine. Their recommendations outline
specific research priorities and describe how each may
lead to a novel "out of the box" approach for developing
an AIDS...
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
Americans spent $33.9 billion
out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative medicine |
 |
CAM is a group of diverse
medical and health care systems, practices, and products
such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic,
and acupuncture that are not generally considered to be
part of conventional medicine. CAM accounts for
approximately 1.5 percent of total health care
expenditures ($2.2 trillion) and 11.2 percent of total
out-of-pocket expenditures (conventional out-of-pocket:
$286.6 billion and CAM out-of-pocket: $33.9 billion) on
health care in the United States. Approximately 38
percent of adults use some form of CAM for health and
wellness or to treat a variety...
more
|
|
|
 |
|
Vegetarians less likely to
develop cancer than meat eaters |
 |
Vegetarians are 12 per cent less
likely to develop cancer than meat eaters, according to
new research published in the British Journal of Cancer.
In a study of more than 61,000 people, Cancer
Research UK scientists from Oxford followed meat eaters
and vegetarians for over 12 years, during which 3,350 of
the participants were diagnosed with cancer.They found that the risk of being
diagnosed with cancers of the stomach, bladder and
blood* was lower in vegetarians than in meat eaters.The most striking difference
was in cancers of the blood including leukaemia,
multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The risk of
these diseases was 45 per cent lower in vegetarians than
in meat eaters.
|
|
|
 |
|
Prostate
Cancer Translational Research in Europe: the search
for biomarkers continues |
 |
Collaboration in prostate cancer
translational research in Europe is not only vital to
sustain the progress achieved in recent years but also
to streamline current efforts between researchers and
clinicians and avoid duplication or overlaps. This was
amongst the goals of the two-day Prostate Cancer
Translational Research in Europe (PCTRE) Meeting which
opened today in Amsterdam. "It is
important that people with research background can
communicate with clinicians and vice versa. By doing so
we maximise the interaction amongst specialists. It is
essential that we show our results to each other," said
Prof. Peter Mulders (Nijmegen, The Netherlands),
chairman of the European Association of Urology Research
Foundation (EAU-RF), organiser of the PCTRE
meeting.
|
|
|
|
Big disparities in the
treatment of arrhythmias across Europe
|
 |
The latest statistics regarding the use of
pacemakers and implantable cardiac devices in Europe was
presented on Sunday 21 June, at EUROPACE 2009, the
meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA)1
which takes place in Berlin, Germany from 21 to 24 June.
These facts and figures, including the current status of
healthcare systems across the continent, were included
in the EHRA White Book2.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Discovery of new biomarker for prostate
cancer
|
 |
Prostate cancer, one of the most
prevalent non-skin cancers in America, affects one in
six men. In 2008, nearly two million Americans were
being treated for prostate cancer; nearly 186,000 were
newly diagnosed, and approximately 28,000 died from the
disease.Avraham Raz, professor of
pathology and radiation oncology in the School of
Medicine at Wayne State University and the Karmanos
Cancer Institute, and his team of renowned research
collaborators identified a cleaved form of
galectin-3 as a marker for prostate cancer
progression. According to the study published in the
April 2009 issue of The American Journal of
Pathology, previous research indicated that
decreased levels of galectin-3 are linked with
neoplastic progression in prostate cancer. However,
increased levels of galectin-3 are believed to be
associated with tumorigenicity in other tumor types.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
I
back
I
top
I |
|
All rights reserved