Thursday, June 12, 2003

Seroquel: effective and well tolerated treatment for bipolar disorder
Shire Health International item - "Important new data presented today at the fifth International Conference on Bipolar Disorder (ICBD) confirms that Seroquel (quetiapine) monotherapy is as effective as current treatments for bipolar disorder and offers improved tolerability benefits.Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that affects approximately 3-4% of the adult population and is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world. More than half of those with bipolar disorder stop taking their medication at some point during their illness, subjecting themselves to a high risk of relapse and an increased risk of suicide. This lack of compliance is strongly associated with the occurrence of side effects, therefore, a well tolerated and effective treatment is pivotal to the successful treatment of this condition."  
  

University of Alabama - Birmingham heads $21M study of schizophrenia
Birmingham Business Journal story - "The University of Alabama at Birmingham is leading a five-year, $21 million national research effort looking for a genetic link to schizophrenia in blacks. Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Project Among African Americans to Explore Risks for Schizophrenia study is the most comprehensive study of schizophrenia in African Americans ever conducted, according to UAB officials. Researchers will focus on the genetic underpinnings of the condition." See also the web site of the Project Among African Americans to Explore Risks for Schizophrenia.  
  

Scientists close in on understanding learning and memory
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions press release at EurekAlert - "For decades, scientists have proposed that learning occurs and memories are stored when connections among nerve cells are weakened or strengthened, but there's been no direct way to prove it. Now, a Johns Hopkins study using mouse cells reveals what seems to be the very last step that occurs as nerve cells temporarily weaken their connections. In the June 13 issue of Science, the Hopkins team also reports that blocking this step prevents connections from weakening without affecting anything else, making it possible -- finally -- to see if weakening connections really do contribute to learning and memory."