physician have prescribed antidepressants for decades without in full understanding why they help the great unwashed . Yes , they increase serotonin grade in the brainpower , but a Modern study give a light picture of what else these drugs do to us .
Prozac and other major antidepressant drug have helped people cope with clinical slump for decades , but the underlie mechanisms that let the drug to influence the body process of the learning ability ’s nerve cell were n’t well understood . The end result was clear-cut – the neurotransmitter serotonin tends to be lacking in depressive someone , and antidepressant drug are able to boost serotonin levels , which helps unbosom many of the anxiety and mood issue people with imprint experience .
Most antidepressants do n’t show an prompt issue – alternatively , they take about three weeks to kick in . For the longest time , scientists could n’t really explain this time lag . They knew the antidepressants had to somehow “ conform ” themselves to the neuronal pathways , but what that actually meant was anyone ’s guess . Now a team of Gallic investigator have project it out : antidepressants need three workweek to shut down a special chemical governor of microRNA .

This exceptional microRNA , designated miR-16 , is in bang of making the serotonin transporter , and is generally notice in the serotonergic neurons that produce 5-hydroxytryptamine . However , miR-16 is also found in nerve cell responsible for defecate the neurotransmitter noradrenaline . Here , miR-16 has precisely the paired determination – it altogether deflect the production of 5-hydroxytryptamine in these neurons .
When drug like Prozac go to work , they cause the serotonergic neurons to release sign . These signals cause the miR-16 to pass off , which free up the noradrenaline neurons to pop out making the serotonin conveyor belt as well . Thus , Prozac both directly supercharge the production of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the serotonergic neuron and indirectly causes the noradrenaline neurons to start establish it as well .
It takes a little time for the miR-16 to be shut down enough for serotonin production to begin in earnest . That excuse the three week delay between when a affected role starts taking Prozac and first feels the outcome of the drug . The researchers say the “ plastic ” properties of the noradrenaline nerve cell , in which they can interpolate their basic function to serve make more serotonin , is what ’s really important to Prozac ’s achiever .

[ Science ; image courtesy of Odile Kellermann . ]
antidepressantsDrugsMedicineNeuroscienceScience
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