Abstract
St. John's Wort (SJW) has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Relatively recently, one of its phloroglucinol derivatives, hyperforin, has emerged as a compound of interest. Hyperforin first gained attention as the constituent of SJW responsible for its antidepressant effects. Since then, several of its neurobiological effects have been described, including neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibition, the ability to increase intracellular sodium and calcium levels, canonical transient receptor potential 6 (TRPC6) activation, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonism as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Until recently, its pharmacological actions outside of depression had not been investigated. However, hyperforin has been shown to have cognitive enhancing and memory facilitating properties. Importantly, it has been shown to have neuroprotective effects against Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology, including the ability to disassemble amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregates in vitro, decrease astrogliosis and microglia activation, as well as improve spatial memory in vivo. This review will examine some of the early studies involving hyperforin and its effects in the central nervous system (CNS), with an emphasis on its potential use in AD therapy. With further investigation, hyperforin could emerge to be a likely therapeutical candidate in the treatment of this disease.

A new study from the University of Iowa found that salt is a good conductor and probably affects our brain function. According to the study, when deprived of salt rats were far less inclined to participate in activities they typically enjoyed—like pressing a bar that stimulated pleasant sensations in their brains. "Things that normally would be pleasurable for rats didn't elicit the same degree of relish, which leads us to believe that a salt deficit and the craving associated with it can induce one of the key symptoms associated with depression," Kim Johnson, the study designer, said. “A loss of pleasure in normally pleasing activities is one of the most important features of psychological depression.”

The gloomy days of January can be the most miserable and stressful of the year, but it doesn't have to be this way. If you follow this ten step guide to distressing your life, then the next few weeks just might become the most serene and fulfilling ones of the year. One step should be carried out on each of the next 10 days. They're based on the ideas found in the international best-seller "Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World." The book uses a program based on mindfulness meditation developed by us at Oxford University in the United Kingdom to relieve anxiety, stress, exhaustion and depression. Mindfulness has proved in some clinical trials to be at least as effective as drugs or counseling for dealing with these conditions.

So what is this mindfulness? It is quite simply paying full, whole-hearted attention. A typical meditation involves paying full attention to the breath as it flows in and out of the body. Focusing on each breath in this way allows you to observe your thoughts as they arise in your mind and, little by little, to let go of struggling with them. You come to the profound understanding that thoughts and feelings (including negative ones) are transient. They come and they go, and ultimately, you have a choice about whether to act on them. Mindfulness is about observation without criticism and being compassionate with yourself. When unhappiness or stress hovers overhead, rather than taking it all personally, you learn to treat it as if it was a black cloud in the sky, and to observe it with friendly curiosity as it drifts past.

Q. I have been off and on several different antidepressants over the years. Do I have to stay on them forever? Am I addicted to antidepressants?

The feel-good effects of oxytocin have diminished the impact of drug and alcohol use. Now, Australian scientists have launched clinical trials to determine if intranasal oxytocin sprays, methamphetamine addicts, alcoholics, and chronic marijuana users using oxytocin nasal sprays will benefit from a combination of oxytocin sprays and injections. University of Sydney researcher Professor Iain McGregor said. "With excessive alcohol consumption or methamphetamines or cocaine use, people get depleted levels of oxytocin in the brain. So what we might be doing by treating people with oxytocin is restoring the brain system that's been changed from alcohol and drug abuse. If you can naturally boost their oxytocin levels you can make people less vulnerable to addiction."

Prof McGregor outlined the results of rat studies in which adolescent rats were given daily oxytocin injections for 10 days before they had any exposure to alcohol. Upon reaching maturity those who had received the oxytocin were not as interested in alcohol and were more sociable than rats not given the injections. They also had higher levels of oxytocin in their brains, suggesting the injection they received had long-lasting effects. Other studies have found oxytocin has similar effects in deterring rats from wanting to indulge in methamphetamines.

Is there a chance they would get hooked on oxytocin? "We don't think so," said Prof McGregor. "We know from giving humans intranasal oxytocin sprays it doesn't seem to have any abuse potential. People who take it don’t feel like they're on ecstasy. It has a more subtle effect." Current clinical trials involving the nasal spray have another six months to run. Meanwhile, research is underway in the United States to see if oxytocin can help manage withdrawal symptoms in cannabis addicts.