depression Archives

Skin biopsy to diagnose depression?

Aug. 29, 2014—It may be possible to use skin cells as biomarkers to diagnose and manage depression.

Physical signs of depression common among ICU survivors

Apr. 17, 2014—Depression affects more than one out of three survivors of critical illness, according to a Vanderbilt study released in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and the majority of patients experience their symptoms physically rather than mentally.

Vanderbilt study shows suicide risk doesn’t differ in children taking two types of commonly prescribed antidepressants

Jan. 7, 2014—A new Vanderbilt University Medical Center study shows there is no evidence that the risk of suicide differs with two commonly prescribed antidepressants prescribed to children and adolescents.

“Between Hallmark and heartache”: Vanderbilt psychiatrist offers tips for how to have a pretty good Christmas

Dec. 19, 2013—During the holidays, the goal should be to set the course somewhere “between Hallmark and heartache,” a Vanderbilt psychiatrist says. In other words, don’t strive for the perfect (you won’t achieve it), and recognize and deal head-on with some of the stressors of the season. Judith Akin, M.D., assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry at Vanderbilt...

Neurotransmitter’s role in bone balance

Nov. 7, 2013—Removal of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine from the space outside cells plays an important role in the regulation of bone remodeling.

Neurons with serotonin transporters labeled with quantum dots. (Jerry Chang / Vanderbilt)

Probing the roots of depression by tracking serotonin regulation at a new level

Jun. 27, 2012—An interdisciplinary team of scientists have successfully tagged a protein that regulates the neurotransmitter serotonin with tiny fluorescent beads, allowing them to track the movements of individual molecules for the first time. This capability makes it possible to study the manner in which serotonin regulates mood, appetite and sleep at a new level of detail.