Researchers identify key brain cell in antidepressant action
(Medical Xpress) -- Antidepressant medications such as Prozac
have helped improve mood and lessen anxiety in millions of
people with major depression. But scientists know surprisingly
little about how these drugs work. Now researchers have
discovered that a specific type of cell in the outer layers of
the brain is crucial for Prozac's action. The study, a
collaboration led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
investigator Nathaniel Heintz and Paul Greengard, both at
Rockefeller University, is the first demonstration that genetic
profiling of specific neural cell types can lead to new insights
into the cause of brain disease. The study is published in the
May 25, 2012, issue of the journal Cell. These SSRIs increase
serotonin in many places in the brain. So the question is, how
do they have such a strong clinical impact on one particular
aspect of behavior? asked Nathaniel Heintz. There may be many
different cell types whose activity you can alt