Posted by linkadge on August 14, 2006, at 17:58:13
In reply to Re: Is Kramer right?, posted by SLS on August 14, 2006, at 8:00:50
>Still, this is probably a matter of a >diminished rate of repair rather than its >complete absence as has been demonstrated by >the recovery of brain tissue seen with lithium >and antidepressant use.
If you inject BDNF direclty into the hippocampus of an animal, it acts virtually the same as an antidepressant does. Ie certain growth factors have direct antidepressant effect.
Some of the ideas about how antidepressants work has been speculation though. Yes they may increase neurogenesis, but the idea that they increase BDNF has not been consistenly shown, nor has it been directly shown that antidepressants actually make a depressed brain look more normal. In terms of antidepressants, tianeptine shows superior ability to protect against the consequences of unavoidable stress.
One study compared tianeptine to fluoxetine and concluded that while tianeptine provided neuroprotection against cortisol, fluoxetine provided no such effect.
I think there has been a lot of jumping on bandwagons, and assumptions. Some of these theories have been based on research, and other has just been filling in the blanks (assuptions).
I still think its too early to say that antidepressants actually do "reverse" the damamge caused by depression. They may grow new brain cells, but like manjii said, this is only part of the picture.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:675829
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060810/msgs/676419.html