“Cheer up” doesn’t help, but a new medication might
Russian scientists have identified a substance that reduced depression symptoms in rodents. This substance may be used in the future to treat clinical depression in humans. The press service of the Federal Research Center “Fundamental Biotechnology” of the Russian Academy of Sciences noted that the developed compounds, including vindeburnol, could provide a new revolutionary approach to combating depression and related conditions such as dementia.
Researchers from the specialized laboratory of medical chemistry of psychotropic drugs at the scientific center, in collaboration with the V.P. Serbsky National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology, studied the effects of vindeburnol, a synthetic derivative of alkaloids, on the behavior of rodents in depressive situations. The substance had a positive impact, increasing the levels of neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the brainstem.
The study included tests on anhedonia, sucrose consumption, and social interaction. Rodents treated with vindeburnol showed improvements in behavior.
The research results have been published in the ACS Chemical Neuroscience journal and were supported by the R-Pharm group of companies.
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