[ad_1]
The discovery, based on extensive research on animals, paves the way for a new class of antidepressants that could be "more free of side effects and faster action" than those currently used, according to one of the leading authors, Natalie Rasgon
Depression, also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is the most prevalent mood disorder in the United States and the world , affecting between 8 and 10 percent of
"This is the main reason for absenteeism at work and one of the leading causes of suicide." Worse, current drug treatments are only only about 50% of the Rasgon population regretted.
In experiments with rodents, acetylcarnitine deficiency was associated with behavior similar to depression, while the provision of oral or intravenous attacks of this substance reversed the animals' symptoms and restored their normal behavior.
The animals responded to acetylcarnitine supplementation within a few days. On the contrary, current antidepressants took two to four weeks to appear, both in experiments with mice and between patients. "Acetylcarnitine is a crucial mediator of fat metabolism and energy production throughout the body and it plays a special role in the brain," says another author, Carla Nasca, Rockefeller University of New York (USA).
In a parallel analysis of the same team, Nasca and his colleagues studied men and women aged 20 to 70 who had been diagnosed with depression.
By comparing their blood samples to those of 45 demographically matched healthy individuals, it was found that patients' blood acetylcarnitine levels were "significantly lower," according to the authors.
A more detailed report showed that the lowest levels were among the participants whose symptoms were more severe, which medical records indicated. Acetylcarnitine levels were also lower in patients who reported a history of abuse, neglect, poverty, or exposure to child abuse. . EFE
ST
[ad_2]
Source link
