• Question: What is the link between serotonin and depression and how do antidepressants affect this?

    Asked by to Daren, Lynne, Phillip, Simon on 22 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Daren Fearon

      Daren Fearon answered on 22 Jun 2014:

      Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that influences mood, emotion and sleep. Usually, after serotonin has delivered a message to a nerve cell, it is absorbed by the cell in a process known as re-uptake. Some mental health issues like depression can be treated by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain. A class of antidepressants, called Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors, work by blocking cells from absorbing the serotonin and leaving it free to pass its message onto other cells.

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