Invited review: the evolution of antidepressant mechanisms

Present antidepressants are all descendents of the serendipitous findings in the 1950s that the monoamine oxidase inhibitor iproniazid and the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine were effective antidepressants. The identification of their mechanism of action, and those of reserpine and amphetamine,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fundamental & clinical pharmacology 2004-02, Vol.18 (1), p.1-21
Main Authors: Slattery, D.A., Hudson, A.L., Nutt, D.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Animals
antidepressant
Antidepressive Agents - history
Antidepressive Agents - pharmacology
Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use
Biogenic Monoamines - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Depression
Depression - drug therapy
Depression - history
Dopamine - physiology
History, 20th Century
Humans
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiology
Medical sciences
Mood disorders
Neuropharmacology
novel targets
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease)
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Present antidepressants are all descendents of the serendipitous findings in the 1950s that the monoamine oxidase inhibitor iproniazid and the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine were effective antidepressants. The identification of their mechanism of action, and those of reserpine and amphetamine, in the 1960s, led to the monoamine theories of depression being postulated; first, with noradrenaline then 5‐hydroxytryptamine being considered the more important amine. These monoamine theories of depression predominated both industrial and academic research for four decades. Recently, in attempts to design new drugs with faster onsets of action and more universal therapeutic action, downstream alterations common to current antidepressants are being examined as potential antidepressants. Additionally, the use of animal models has identified a number of novel targets some of which have been subjected to clinical trials in humans. However, monoamine antidepressants remain the best current medications and it may be some time before they are dislodged as the market leaders.
ISSN:0767-3981
1472-8206
DOI:10.1111/j.1472-8206.2004.00195.x