2 Research Peptides That Show Promise In Treating Depression

15 February 2017
 Categories: Business, Blog


If you suffer from depression that has not responded to any of the depression medications currently on the market, then you will be happy to hear that research into new depression medications is being performed constantly. While, over the years, many new depression medications have entered the market, many have been very similar and tend to increase the brain's serotonin level. There are many new studies being performed using substances called peptides that target different areas of the brain and may end up being of great help to people who have depression that doesn't respond to treatments that raise the brain's serotonin level. 

Here are two peptides that researchers suspect may one day be great depression treatments. 

1. Hypocretin Peptide May Be Linked More to Happiness than Realized

Hypocretin, which is a natural peptide in the brain that is also called orexin, has been studied in the past in those who suffer from narcolepsy. People who suffer from narcolepsy often have low levels of hypocretin in their brains due to having a lower number of nerve cells that secrete the natural peptide in their brains. However, researches decided to conduct a study to see if hypocretin peptide levels in the brain also play a role in happiness to see if they could one day be used to treat depression. 

A research study was performed at UCLA, or the University of California at Los Angeles, on a group of people as they went about their day. The study revealed that hypocretin levels in their brain were highest when they felt positive emotions and interacted socially, although they were also higher when they experienced anger. Other studies revealed similar results. 

While more studies will need to be conducted to see whether this is truly a great new depression treatment or not, if it does turn out to be, then making a medication to increase a brain's hypocretin levels will be easy due to hypocretin already being an available research peptide. 

2. Spadin Peptide Relieves Depression in Just Four Days

Another peptide is being studied as a depression treatment is called Spadin. This peptide acts as a TREK-1 potassium channel antagonist, which differs dramatically from the most popular antidepressants in use today, which are SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. 

When compared to SSRIs, not only does this peptide deliver depression relief with virtually no side effects in the clinical studies it has been used in, but it also relieves depression in just an average of four days from the start of treatment. This is a great benefit to people who suffer from depression, because SSRIS can take up to several months to work well in people who take them. 

This peptide is also already used in research today, so if it is approved for treatment of depression, it will be relatively easy for drug manufacturers to turn it into a medication. 

If you suffer from depression, then you may be looking forward to new depression medications due to the current ones on the market no working for you or their side effects. Many researchers are studying how depression responds to research peptides, and these are just two of the promising studies showing that peptides may soon be great depression treatments. 


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