Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for smoking cessation: a pivotal multicenter double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation method increasingly used to treat psychiatric disorders, primarily depression. Initial studies suggest that rTMS may help to treat addictions, but evaluation in multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is needed. We conducted a multicenter double-blind RCT in 262 chronic smokers meeting DSM-5 criteria for tobacco use disorder, who had made at least one prior failed attempt to quit, with 68% having made at least three failed attempts.

A Tellurium-Based Small Immunomodulatory Molecule Ameliorates Depression-Like Behavior in Two Distinct Rat Models.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of morbidity, and the fourth leading cause of disease burden worldwide. While MDD is a treatable condition for many individuals, others suffer from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Here, we suggest the immunomodulatory compound AS101 as novel therapeutic alternative.

Prelimbic Stimulation Ameliorates Depressive-Like Behaviors and Increases Regional BDNF Expression in a Novel Drug-Resistant Animal Model of Depression.

Background: Approximately one third of all major depression patients fail to respond to conventional pharmacological antidepressants, and brain stimulation methods pose a promising alternative for this population. Recently, based on repeated multifactorial selective inbreeding of rats for depressive-like behaviors, we introduced a novel animal model for MDD. Rats from this Depressive Rat Line (DRL) exhibit inherent depressive-like behaviors, which are correlated with lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in specific brain regions.

Inherited behaviors, BDNF expression and response to treatment in a novel multifactorial rat model for depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and devastating mental illness behaviorally characterized by various symptoms, including reduced motivation, anhedonia and psychomotor retardation. Although the etiology of MDD is still obscure, a genetic predisposition appears to play an important role. Here we used, for the first time, a multifactorial selective breeding procedure to generate a distinct 'depressed' rat line (DRL); our selection was based upon mobility in the forced swim test, sucrose preference and home-cage locomotion, three widely used tests associated with core characteristics of MDD.