Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It affects approximately 5-8% of children globally, with around 60-70% of cases persisting into adulthood. ADHD has significant implications for educational attainment, social interactions, and occupational success.
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.

Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists

Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists

Cognitive enhancers, also known as "smart drugs," are substances used to enhance memory, mental alertness, and concentration. These can be natural or synthetic and improve cognition in conditions like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Some common examples include caffeine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, modafinil, arecoline, donepezil, vortioxetine, and piracetam. These enhancers work on the principle of synaptic plasticity and altered circuit function. They...

Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment

Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment

Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is pathologically identified by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau protein. AD pharmacotherapy aims to manage cognitive symptoms, delay disease progression, and treat behavioral symptoms. The treatment is primarily symptomatic and palliative, with no definitive disease-modifying therapy available. Cholinesterase inhibitors, including donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and galantamine (Razadyne), are...

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...

Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory

Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory

Neurotransmitters are integral to the brain's communication system, enabling neurons to transmit signals across synapses. This chemical exchange underpins various cognitive functions, including memory processes. The role of neurotransmitters in memory is multifaceted, influencing the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memories through their action on different neural circuits.
Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is critical for...

Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacokinetics

Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacokinetics

Direct-acting cholinergic agonists, such as synthetic choline esters and naturally occurring alkaloids, exert their effects by enhancing the actions of acetylcholine and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Synthetic choline esters share structural similarities with acetylcholine. For example, they have a positively charged quaternary ammonium or onium group, contributing to their hydrophilic characteristics. As a result, they are poorly absorbed in the body through oral...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Predictors of Psychiatric Emergency Department Visits Following Inpatient Discharge: Secondary Analysis of a Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial.

JMIR formative research·2026

Same author

Predictors of Psychiatric Emergency Department Visits Following Inpatient Discharge: Secondary Analysis of a Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial.

JMIR formative research·2025

Same author

Classification of major depressive disorder using vertex-wise brain sulcal depth, curvature, and thickness with a deep and a shallow learning model.

Molecular psychiatry·2025

Same author

Shared and Distinct Alterations in Brain Structure of Youth With Internalizing or Externalizing Disorders: Findings From the ENIGMA Antisocial Behavior, ADHD, Major Depressive Disorder, and Anxiety Working Groups.

Biological psychiatry·2025

Same author

Classification of Major Depressive Disorder Using Vertex-Wise Brain Sulcal Depth, Curvature, and Thickness with a Deep and a Shallow Learning Model.

ArXiv·2025

Same author

Macrostructural Brain Morphology as Moderator of the Relationship Between Pandemic-Related Stress and Internalizing Symptomology During COVID-19 in High-Risk Adolescents.

Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging·2024

Same journal

Quantifying the increasing use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in ophthalmology.

McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students·2012

Same journal

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and their contribution to health: An Analysis of Three Countries.

McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students·2012

Same journal

Ultrasound: from Earth to space.

McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students·2012

Same journal

Male physicians treating Female patients: Issues, Controversies and Gynecology.

McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students·2012

Same journal

Maternal hemoglobin concentration and pregnancy outcome: a study of the effects of elevation in el alto, bolivia.

McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students·2012

Same journal

ICA Occlusion by an ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma post-TSS and irradiation.

McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students·2012

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Choline in pediatric depression.

Frank P MacMaster¹, Vivek Kusumakar

¹QE II Health Sciences Centre, Psychiatry, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. fpmacmas@dal.ca

Mcgill Journal of Medicine : MJM : an International Forum for the Advancement of Medical Sciences by Students

|June 17, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Youth with major depressive disorder (MDD) show elevated choline levels in the prefrontal cortex. This finding in major depressive disorder suggests alterations in brain metabolism in adolescents.

Keywords:

choline depression magnetic resonance spectroscopy pediatric prefrontal cortex

More Related Videos

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Biochemistry

Background:

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is linked to neuropathology in the prefrontal cortex.
Understanding MDD's neuropathology is crucial for developing effective treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate choline levels in the prefrontal cortex of adolescents diagnosed with MDD.
Utilizing proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to assess neurochemical alterations.

Main Methods:

A case-control study involving 12 pairs of treatment-naive adolescents (ages 10-18).
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was employed to measure choline levels in the right prefrontal cortex.
Choline/Creatine ratios were analyzed and compared between MDD patients and healthy controls.

Main Results:

Adolescents with MDD exhibited significantly elevated Choline/Creatine ratios in the right prefrontal cortex compared to healthy controls.
Statistical analysis confirmed a significant difference (F1, 11=10.741, p=0.007).

Conclusions:

Prefrontal cytosolic choline levels appear to be increased in adolescents experiencing MDD.
These findings align with previous research in both adult and adolescent populations.
Alterations in choline metabolism within the prefrontal cortex are associated with MDD in youth.