Antidepressant Response Linked to Norepinephrine Transporter Genotype

Peter ForsterBest Practices, Major Depression, Testing, Treatments of Depression

A large study of patients treated with venlafaxine found that antidepressant response was linked to the norepinephrine transporter (NET) genotype. The study looked at response in a sample of 350 individuals over the age of 60 with severe depression (MADRS greater than or equal to 15) who were treated with venlafaxine up to a dose of 300 mg a day. …

Norepinephrine dopamine and depression

Peter ForsterBasic Science, Major Depression, Psychobiology, Treatments of Depression

In an elegant set of studies published in February 2016 in Nature Neuroscience the team of Bruno Giros, a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University, reports the first-ever connection between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression. The study involved research using probably the most well developed animal model for depression – chronic or …

Functional Brain Imaging and Antidepressant Response

Peter ForsterBasic Science, Testing, Treatments of Depression

One of the most exciting initiatives currently in the important area of  the treatment of depression is the International Study to Predict Optimized Treatment in Depression (iSPOT-D). This large multi-center initiative is based on a private industry and academic partnership that is designed to both identify best practices in the treatment of depression and also commercialize them. The most recent publication from this …