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Gene Therapy For Depression: A Futuristic Treatment

Despite the fact that pharmaceutical companies continue to promote the concept of “chemical imbalances” as the root cause of depression, this is a vast oversimplification of an infinitely more complex condition.  While a chemical imbalance may be one of the primary contributing factors to a person’s depression, what causes the chemicals (neurotransmitters) to become imbalanced …

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RNAi For Depression: siRNA Targets SERT & 5-HT1A for Antidepressant Effect

It seems as though society is on the verge of ushering in a new generation of treatment modalities for depression and other psychiatric conditions.  While most people turn to pharmaceutical drugs for major depressive disorder, approximately 1 out of 3 people fail to get sufficient symptomatic relief.  To make matters worse, many end up trying …

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Genetically Modified Mice: PDE4B Inhibition Increases Intelligence, Reduces Anxiety

Perhaps you’ve heard of the fictional story “Flowers for Algernon” about a laboratory mouse named Algernon.  The mouse undergoes a nootropic-esque surgical procedure that dramatically amplifies his intelligence.  The experiment is deemed so successful, that scientists decide to test the procedure in a human character named Charlie Gordon. Prior to the artificial enhancement of Charlie’s …

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Saphris (Asenapine) & Weight Gain: What Should You Expect?

Saphris (Asenapine) is an atypical antipsychotic medication that was approved in 2009 for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  It is a relatively new atypical antipsychotic, and is considered a chemical derivative of the tetracyclic antidepressant (TeCA) mianserin.  It is manufactured in a sublingual format, which some may perceive as an upgraded or novel …

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