Antidepressant Changes Brain Differently Of Depressed, Non-Depressed Individuals

New findings published in the journal Neuropharmacology show that the antidepressant sertraline, a selective serotonine reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), otherwise known as Zoloft, held different effects on depressed versus healthy individuals in a study with nonhuman primates.

"These observations are important for human health because Zoloft is widely prescribed for a number of disorders other than depression," said Dr. Carol Shively, a professor of pathology and comparative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, in a press release.

During the study, researchers fed 41 middle-aged monkeys a diet similar to adult Americans of the same age for 18 months, meanwhile tracking their depressive behavior. Female monkeys were chosen because depression is twice as common in women as it is in men. Furthermore, antidepressant use is most common in middle-aged women.

The researchers monitored their diet and behaviors, after which they split the monkeys into two groups balanced for body weight, depressive behavior and body mass index (BMI). While one group received daily doses of sertraline, the other received a placebo over an 18-month-period.

The findings revealed that areas of the brain that plays key roles in depression showed differences in brain structures similarly seen between depressed and non-depressed humans. For instance, MRIs showed how the anterior cingulate cortex in depressed monkeys grew larger. Meanwhile, the region and the hippocampus actually shrunk in healthy monkeys on the drug.

While the findings are compelling, researchers noted how further investigations will be needed to see if the drugs produce similar effects in humans.

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