Molecule could hold the key to better depression treatment

FRESH INSIGHTS into changes in the brain linked to depression could pave the way for new treatments, according to scientists.

Their study also sheds light on why a particular category of antidepressant drugs stops working in some people, researchers believe.

Experts at the University of Edinburgh have pinpointed a key molecule that they think may protect the brain from depression. The team studied mice bred to have defects in their ability to activate the molecule, known as eIF4E.

These animals showed signs of depression, including reduced levels of the hormone serotonin – a hallmark of the condition.

The mice also demonstrated behavioural changes linked to depression, such as lacking interest in food. Treatment with a commonly prescribed antidepressant called fluoxetine also failed to produce a response in the mice, the university said.

Scientists said this suggests that activation of the molecule is required to experience the beneficial antidepressant effects of fluoxetine, in a category of medicines called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This could help explain why some patients stop responding to SSRIs, researchers say. Other studies have shown that eIF4E is involved in regulating protein synthesis in the brain, with defects in the molecule linked with other neurological conditions, such as autism and Fragile X syndrome.