Antidepressants

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Ethics Microphone

FDA describes ‘objectionable conditions’ at New York State Psychiatric Institute

The facility’s institutional review board failed to report a 2021 incident and “serious and ongoing noncompliance” by a principal investigator, according to a letter released by the federal agency this week.

By Brendan Borrell
2 April 2024 | 6 min listen
Ethics Microphone

Exclusive: Shake-up at top psychiatric institute following suicide in clinical trial

The New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City is undergoing an audit and a change in leadership following a suicide that occurred during one of its clinical trials.

By Brendan Borrell
31 July 2023 | 5 min listen
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Reinforcing rigor; medication medley

This month’s newsletter highlights findings on the use of three medication types during pregnancy.

By Emily Harris
14 December 2022 | 4 min read
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Medication timing; oxytocin amounts; sensory sameness

Parents’ health, treatment dosages and sensory perception feature in this month’s crop of null and replicated results.

By Emily Harris
13 October 2022 | 5 min read
A pregnant woman and another figure are obscured by shadows.
Spectrum Microphone

Maternal genetics may confound studies of autism’s link to prenatal factors

Women who carry genetic variants tied to autism have an elevated chance of experiencing pregnancy-related events linked to the condition in their children.

By Charles Q. Choi
2 August 2022 | 5 min read
Heidi and Hannah Epstein in Los Angeles.

Pinning hope to ketamine

Doctors can prescribe it, but evidence that ketamine eases autism traits is still preliminary.

By Leto Sapunar
29 June 2022 | 10 min read

Drugs boost serotonin, socialization in multiple autism mouse models

The finding that MDMA and an experimental serotonin agonist increase sociability across six different model mice suggests that disparate autism-linked mutations converge on the same underlying pathways.

By Peter Hess
6 August 2021 | 4 min read
Illustration of transporter mice in brain maze
Spectrum Microphone

After 60 years, scientists are still trying to crack a mysterious serotonin-autism link

The high levels of serotonin seen in the blood of some autistic people have confounded scientists for more than half a century. Despite so little progress, some researchers refuse to give up.

By Grace Huckins
4 June 2021 | 9 min read
Spectrum Microphone

Sensor helps scientists spy on serotonin activity in mice in real time

A glowing protein tracks serotonin levels and location in the brains of living mice and could yield clues to the neurotransmitter’s role in autism.

By Peter Hess
5 February 2021 | 5 min read
Two silhouettes, of child and an adult in a twilight colored setting. We can see inside the brain and interactions with medicine and the brain. The child's head is surrounded by clouds and the adult head is in the clear.

Why serotonin medications may yet help children with autism

A class of medications used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder seems to ease compulsive behaviors in adults with autism. Why can't we tell if these medications work similarly in children with the condition?

By Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
28 January 2020 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.

New connectomes fly beyond the brain

Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.

By Laura Dattaro
26 July 2024 | 7 min read
Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.

Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman

A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.

By Cathleen O’Grady
25 July 2024 | 8 min read

Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing

The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.

By Angie Voyles Askham
24 July 2024 | 6 min read