Antidepressants grow NEW BRAIN CELLS

[Guest rawmvp]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Antidepressants may help stimulate the growth of new brain cells, U.S.-based scientists said on Thursday in releasing research that may lead to the development of better drugs to fight depression.

 

 

 

Research on rats shows that two different classes of antidepressants can help brain cells regenerate -- and not in areas normally thought of as being involved in depression.

 

 

"This is an important new insight into how antidepressants work," Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said in a statement.

 

 

The study fits in with others that suggest depression can shrink the hippocampus, a brain region crucial to learning and memory but only recently found to be involved in depression. Major stress and trauma -- both depression triggers -- can also cause the shrinkage.

 

 

"We have known that antidepressants influence the birth of neurons in the hippocampus. Now it appears that this effect may be important for the clinical response," Insel said.

 

 

New antidepressants may be developed to target this process directly, said Rene Hen of Columbia University in New York, who led the study.

 

 

"The proof in humans is going to come when we extend the work into finding drugs that stimulate neurogenesis. If these drugs have antidepressant effects in humans, this is going to be proof that the process is critical in humans," Hen said in a telephone interview.

 

 

"There is a push already in the pharmaceutical industry to find such compounds."

 

 

The new study may also help explain why it can take weeks for antidepressants to give patients relief.

 

 

"If antidepressants work by stimulating the production of new neurons, there's a built-in delay," said Hen. The stem cells that give rise to new cells need time to divide, to differentiate into neurons, move to their new homes and link up with other neurons.

 

 

To make sure that the new brain cells in the hippocampus was the source of the lifted depression, Hen and colleagues at Yale University and in France worked with genetically engineered mice, using X-rays to kill newly growing cells in the hippocampus.

 

 

These mice did not respond as they normally would to antidepressants. Mice which were given fluoxetine, an antidepressant sold under the brand-name Prozac by Eli Lilly and Co., and were then given X-rays did not resume grooming as would be expected.

 

 

Mice who received no X-rays and were killed after being dosed for 11 or 28 days with fluoxetine showed significant growth of new brain cells.

 

 

A drug in a different class, the tricyclic imipramine, also stimulated the growth of neurons, Hen's team reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

 

 

"Besides finding drugs that target this process, the other basic research challenge for me is to find out what the function of these new neurons is," Hen said.

 

 

Experts say that 16 percent of Americans -- more than 30 million people -- will suffer major depression at some point in their lives.

 

 

The NIMH says major depression is now the No. 1 leading cause of disability around the world.

 

 

So, does this mean if I take Zoloft, I can, in theory, become smarter?

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Chances are:

 

No.

[Only The Strong Survive 0]

I have a friend who fights with bouts of depression...

 

Man does she have some shitty days...

[BX 0]

I've had a few bouts with depression myself, so this is interesting news.

[MrRant 0]

So... drink beer... take Zoloft... drink beer... take Zoloft.

 

Now I won't lose brain cells!

 

Take that MADD.

Edited August 10, 2003 by MrRant

[Guest Ten Ton Lid]

So... drink beer... take Zoloft... drink beer... take Zoloft.

 

Now I won't loose brain cells!

 

Take that MADD.

Damn straight. Something I can party with that actually grows brain cells back. Even if this doesn't pan out, you'd better believe I'm holding onto it (and making copies to hand out) until it's absolutely 100% disproved.

[Guest MikeSC]

I have a friend who fights with bouts of depression...

 

Man does she have some shitty days...

Nothing worse than suicidally depressed people being MORE able to remember why they wish to kill themselves.

-=Mike

[MrRant 0]

Perhaps with the growth of new brain cells they will actually be smart enough to you know... FINISH the job.

[cynicalprofit 0]

why cant they do research and prove pot does this.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Because it doesn't.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

Perhaps with the growth of new brain cells they will actually be smart enough to you know... FINISH the job.

Fuck you. Being depressed doesn't mean you want to kill yourself. And some people can't help it. My Grandmother and my mother are both Bi-Polar, and my great Aunt killed herself. I've had problems with depression my whole life and it's not something that you can just ignore and decide to change. you can't just go, "I'm happy now" and be so.

 

It may be selfish to commit suicide but what kind of person cheers them on?

[BX 0]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

[Guest MikeSC]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

[Guest Ten Ton Lid]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

Humour should only ever occur in the form of emoticons. And not the devil, puking or machine-gun ones, for obvious insensitivity-related reasons.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

I have a friend who fights with bouts of depression...

 

Man does she have some shitty days...

Nothing worse than suicidally depressed people being MORE able to remember why they wish to kill themselves.

-=Mike

That's not humor, that's disgusting.

[cynicalprofit 0]

Because it doesn't.

Hey test have been done proving diet coke is effective as a spermacide...whos to say they cant prove pot does good things.

[Guest Ten Ton Lid]

I have a friend who fights with bouts of depression...

 

Man does she have some shitty days...

Nothing worse than suicidally depressed people being MORE able to remember why they wish to kill themselves.

-=Mike

That's not humor, that's disgusting.

And I'm sure anyone who had a relative killed by organized criminals appreciates the hilarity of your signature. Hell, for that matter, I bet Frances Cobain would enjoy a self-aware chuckle at your tagline, should she come across it. Most humour is "disgusting", because humour reflects life. Hell, even Homestar Runner, one of the most innocuous sites around, openly mocks the clinically depressed and the (apparently) mentally handicapped. Everything is going to offend everyone at some point or another, jumping on one person's back isn't going to change anything.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

My tagline isn't a joke though. Courtney DID kill Kurt, and by killing him it made her into a big star for a period of time.

 

As for Homestar Runner there's a difference between poking fun and wishing people would be smart enough to kill themselves.

[BX 0]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

[Guest Ten Ton Lid]

My tagline isn't a joke though. Courtney DID kill Kurt, and by killing him it made her into a big star for a period of time.

 

As for Homestar Runner there's a difference between poking fun and wishing people would be smart enough to kill themselves.

I was referring more to the flippance of it than whether or not it's factually true. Because "solo push" isn't technically a term that respects peoples' suffering. Of course, ANY term is going to tweak someone re: something they suffered in the past My point was you can't say anything without someone taking offense, particularly in the form of a joke.

As for specifically what forms of a given joke are acceptable, that's just splitting hairs. Trying to draw a line there really is beside the point, and not practical/possible at that.

No-one says you have to laugh, but you're not in a position to state that other people shouldn't, or that the joke shouldn't have been made in the first place.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

The "Courtney killed Kurt..." line has never offended anyone that I know of or it would be removed from my sig.

 

Nor do I use it as an attempt to make a joke or insult anyone. Another poster came up with it for me, so I used it.

 

Rant and Mike made those comments to purposely upset people, and they were blatently pregedist (Sp) against people who Suffer from depression.

[Guest MikeSC]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

Humour should only ever occur in the form of emoticons. And not the devil, puking or machine-gun ones, for obvious insensitivity-related reasons.

How about you buy a set of balls?

 

Geez.

-=Mike

[Guest MikeSC]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

Humor tends to be lost on the feeble-minded.

-=Mike

[Guest MikeSC]

The "Courtney killed Kurt..." line has never offended anyone that I know of or it would be removed from my sig.

 

Nor do I use it as an attempt to make a joke or insult anyone. Another poster came up with it for me, so I used it.

 

Rant and Mike made those comments to purposely upset people, and they were blatently pregedist (Sp) against people who Suffer from depression.

Seeing as how I have bi-polar disorder myself --- though I do not wish to play martyr over it --- your point is beyond moot.

-=Mike

[BX 0]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

Humor tends to be lost on the feeble-minded.

-=Mike

That's nice. Go back to watching wrestling.

[Guest MikeSC]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

Humor tends to be lost on the feeble-minded.

-=Mike

That's nice. Go back to watching wrestling.

Truly, your witty retort has shown me the error of my ways. Please, Confucius, enlighten us further with your dazzling wisdom.

-=Mike

[Guest Vitamin X]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

Humor tends to be lost on the feeble-minded.

-=Mike

That's nice. Go back to watching wrestling.

Truly, your witty retort has shown me the error of my ways. Please, Confucius, enlighten us further with your dazzling wisdom.

-=Mike

....

 

I'd like to jump on the 'this guy is a fucking idiot' bandwagon right now. I'm manic depressive myself (bipolar disorder I) with mild schizophrenia and while I can see humor, and can sometiems even appreciate dark humor regarding it, that joke was neither funny or had a point other than to openly insult those who have thought about such things in their life before.

 

People who have never thought about suicide or ever been majorly depressed have to realize that for some people, life can seem very pointless and if it just isn't going well, might want to just completely end it because the idea of non-existence could be better than what they are going through or living. And as CWM said, you can't just flip it like a light switch and instantly become happier just by having a positive outlook on life. I'm naturally a pessimist, but that's mostly due to every time that I've tried being optimistic, it ends up being naive'te.

[Guest MikeSC]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

Humor tends to be lost on the feeble-minded.

-=Mike

That's nice. Go back to watching wrestling.

Truly, your witty retort has shown me the error of my ways. Please, Confucius, enlighten us further with your dazzling wisdom.

-=Mike

....

 

I'd like to jump on the 'this guy is a fucking idiot' bandwagon right now. I'm manic depressive myself (bipolar disorder I) with mild schizophrenia and while I can see humor, and can sometiems even appreciate dark humor regarding it, that joke was neither funny or had a point other than to openly insult those who have thought about such things in their life before.

 

People who have never thought about suicide or ever been majorly depressed have to realize that for some people, life can seem very pointless and if it just isn't going well, might want to just completely end it because the idea of non-existence could be better than what they are going through or living. And as CWM said, you can't just flip it like a light switch and instantly become happier just by having a positive outlook on life. I'm naturally a pessimist, but that's mostly due to every time that I've tried being optimistic, it ends up being naive'te.

Once again, cry me a frickin' river.

 

If somebody is so darned weak that suicide is a nice option, go ahead and end it, you selfish little shit.

 

"Oooh, my life sucks so hard I should kill myself"

 

You know what --- if you're so selfish as to do that, go ahead and stop whining about it. Do the world a favor and remove yourself from the game.

 

This world is so absurdly hyper-sensitive that the thought of possibly offending somebody means squat to me nowadays.

 

Don't waste my time with the whole "How insensitive" BS. This sensitivity BS is eroding freedom of speech like few things ever could.

-=Mike

[Guest Vitamin X]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

Humor tends to be lost on the feeble-minded.

-=Mike

That's nice. Go back to watching wrestling.

Truly, your witty retort has shown me the error of my ways. Please, Confucius, enlighten us further with your dazzling wisdom.

-=Mike

....

 

I'd like to jump on the 'this guy is a fucking idiot' bandwagon right now. I'm manic depressive myself (bipolar disorder I) with mild schizophrenia and while I can see humor, and can sometiems even appreciate dark humor regarding it, that joke was neither funny or had a point other than to openly insult those who have thought about such things in their life before.

 

People who have never thought about suicide or ever been majorly depressed have to realize that for some people, life can seem very pointless and if it just isn't going well, might want to just completely end it because the idea of non-existence could be better than what they are going through or living. And as CWM said, you can't just flip it like a light switch and instantly become happier just by having a positive outlook on life. I'm naturally a pessimist, but that's mostly due to every time that I've tried being optimistic, it ends up being naive'te.

Once again, cry me a frickin' river.

 

If somebody is so darned weak that suicide is a nice option, go ahead and end it, you selfish little shit.

 

"Oooh, my life sucks so hard I should kill myself"

 

You know what --- if you're so selfish as to do that, go ahead and stop whining about it. Do the world a favor and remove yourself from the game.

 

This world is so absurdly hyper-sensitive that the thought of possibly offending somebody means squat to me nowadays.

 

Don't waste my time with the whole "How insensitive" BS. This sensitivity BS is eroding freedom of speech like few things ever could.

-=Mike

I never once mentioned anything about sensitivity, but merely about ignorance. Which your last post once again proves me correct.

 

EDIT: I'd like to also point out that attitudes like yours are what provokes things like Columbine. There has to be a certain level where you're not going to have to show completel and utter ignorance and/or apathy (though in your case I'm sure you're leaning towards the first).

[Guest MikeSC]

...

 

Jesus fucking Christ.

 

I merely *suspected* you were a moron before Mike. But now I'm completely sure of it.

Hmm, I'm a moron? For making a joke?

 

Well, as they always say, morons most easily recognize themselves.

-=Mike

A joke eh? Well I'm sorry for doubting ya Mike. I should have known you'd have THE WORST delivery ever.

 

And you're a moron.

Humor tends to be lost on the feeble-minded.

-=Mike

That's nice. Go back to watching wrestling.

Truly, your witty retort has shown me the error of my ways. Please, Confucius, enlighten us further with your dazzling wisdom.

-=Mike

....

 

I'd like to jump on the 'this guy is a fucking idiot' bandwagon right now. I'm manic depressive myself (bipolar disorder I) with mild schizophrenia and while I can see humor, and can sometiems even appreciate dark humor regarding it, that joke was neither funny or had a point other than to openly insult those who have thought about such things in their life before.

 

People who have never thought about suicide or ever been majorly depressed have to realize that for some people, life can seem very pointless and if it just isn't going well, might want to just completely end it because the idea of non-existence could be better than what they are going through or living. And as CWM said, you can't just flip it like a light switch and instantly become happier just by having a positive outlook on life. I'm naturally a pessimist, but that's mostly due to every time that I've tried being optimistic, it ends up being naive'te.

Once again, cry me a frickin' river.

 

If somebody is so darned weak that suicide is a nice option, go ahead and end it, you selfish little shit.

 

"Oooh, my life sucks so hard I should kill myself"

 

You know what --- if you're so selfish as to do that, go ahead and stop whining about it. Do the world a favor and remove yourself from the game.

 

This world is so absurdly hyper-sensitive that the thought of possibly offending somebody means squat to me nowadays.

 

Don't waste my time with the whole "How insensitive" BS. This sensitivity BS is eroding freedom of speech like few things ever could.

-=Mike

I never once mentioned anything about sensitivity, but merely about ignorance. Which your last post once again proves me correct.

 

EDIT: I'd like to also point out that attitudes like yours are what provokes things like Columbine. There has to be a certain level where you're not going to have to show completel and utter ignorance and/or apathy (though in your case I'm sure you're leaning towards the first).

"Attitudes like yours are what provoke things like Columbine"?

 

Do you know how completely moronic you sound?

 

If something somebody you don't know on a message board writes hurts your feelings, you need to go out and become the adult you are trying so hard to pretend to be. If something I wrote offended you, then tough --- grow some balls and pretend to be a man for five seconds.

 

Jesus Christ --- you want offensive?

 

Offensive WOULD have been : "Why should they grow new brain cells when they'll just be splattered against a wall eventually?"

 

I HAVE bi-polar, but unlike hyper-sensitive CWM, I manage to make it through MY day without any burning desire to have a gun in my mouth. If HE wants to off himself, he should feel free to do so. If you wish to off yourself, also, feel free to do so. If somebody reads what I write and suddenly wants to do the same, I say "Go ahead and have fun".

 

His asinine signature SHOULD be viewed as offensive, but because he is presently channeling Phil Donahue's less manly side --- a truly petrifying thought, to be sure --- a free pass is given.

 

So be it.

 

If you can't handle possibly being offended, join a monastery and take your vow of silence.

 

We don't need more spineless jellyfish in the world. We have our share as is.

 

I have "utter ignorance"? No, I have the maturity to handle that somethings people will say will be offensive and won't bitch and moan about every little crack, unlike some of the more pathetic members of this little community.

 

Learn to be an adult and develop a spine of some sort before you attempt to post further.

-=Mike