Females with depression had the highest levels of expression of several glutamate receptor genes, perhaps making them more prone to depression. In addition, three of these genes were found to be elevated in both male and female patients who had died by suicide.
"Our data indicate that females with major depression who are at high risk of suicide may have the greatest antidepressant benefit from drugs that act on the glutamate system, such as ketamine," author said. The study also suggests new glutamate receptor targets for development of treatments for depression and identifies biochemical markers that could be used to assess suicide risk.
Recent studies found that a low dose of the drug ketamine, which alters glutamate system activity, can rapidly eliminate depression in two-thirds of patients who do not respond to conventional antidepressants. Conventional antidepressants target the monoamine systems, which secrete the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin or norepinephrine.
http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/mp201591a.html
Edited
Latest News
How the brain fine-tunes it…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Apr
Immune cells carry a long-l…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Apr
Mutations in noncoding DNA…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Apr
More influence of environme…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Apr
The assembly of the human c…
By newseditor
Posted 24 Apr
Other Top Stories
Prognostic biomarker found in ovarian cancer patients
Read more
Identical driver gene mutations found in metastatic cancers
Read more
How a sleeping cancer awakens and metastasizes
Read more
Cancer increases glucose supply by hijacking microbiome!
Read more
"Check Point Theory" to treat cancer wins 2018 Nobel Prize in Physi…
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
The MYCN 50 UTR as a therap…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Apr
Control of neuronal excitat…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Apr
Epithelial UNC-23 limits me…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Apr
Macrophage memories of earl…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Apr
A gut-derived hormone regul…
By newseditor
Posted 25 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar