Answer to Question 1
Answer: Depression treatment would include the monamine agonists (MAOIs, SSRIs, tricyclics), but these take several weeks to lift mood. Other modes include ECT, transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation of the subgenual ACC, stimulation of the vagus nerve, injection of ketamine, and total sleep deprivation. Ketamine and total sleep deprivation offer the advantage of rapidly lifting the symptoms of depression, although more slowly than ECT. Most AD drugs take weeks to lift mood.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: Environmental factors include season of birth, viral epidemics, vitamin D deficiency, population density, prenatal malnutrition, substance abuse, and complications of pregnancy. While some of these may be outside of the realm of control, one might argue that flu shots for pregnant women may nullify the viral epidemic effect. Similarly, Vitamin D supplementation and promoting good prenatal nutrition are other factors that could be addressed.
The amyloid-β peptide, which plays a major role in Alzheimer’s disease
Positive and Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Major Categories of Diseases
Classification of Antidepressants: Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder
Major Types of Hydrogen Bonds Found in Biomolecular Interactions
Major “identity elements” in some tRNAs