Researchers at the University of Maryland (USA) have identified promising compounds to cure depression in less than 24 hours, without serious side effects. This discovery, only tested on mice, could offer significant advantages over current antidepressants.
The scientists focused on another serotonin neurotransmitter, an inhibitory compound called GABA.
Currently, most people with depression take drugs that increase levels of the neurochemical serotonin in the brain. The most common of these drugs, such as Prozac and Lexapro, are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Unfortunately, SSRIs are effective for a third of patients with depression. When these treatments work, they usually take between three and eight weeks to relieve symptoms. As a result, patients often suffer for months before finding a drug that makes them feel better. Better treatments for depression are clearly needed.
The researchers tested the GABA inhibitor compounds in rats that were subjected to mild chronic stress similar to depression in humans. The beneficial effects of these compounds appeared within 24 hours, much faster than the several weeks required for SSRIs to produce the same effects.
“Our findings open up a whole new class of potential antidepressant drugs,” said Scott Thompson, professor and chair of the Department of Physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We have evidence that these compounds can relieve devastating depression symptoms in less than a day, and can do so in a way that limits some of the major drawbacks of current approaches.”
The conclusions of this study must be confirmed by clinical trials on humans.
Read also :
Some antidepressants increase the risk of birth defects
Depression paves the way for Parkinson’s disease
Menopause: when vaginal disorders lead to incontinence and depression
