A new study from the US has discovered that antidepressants are failing to help around 50 per cent of people with depression due to an excess of one type of serotonin receptor in their brains.

Scientists from the Columbia University Medical Centre conducted studies on mice who, when treated with antidepressants, become more daring.

Results from the study found that mice with a surplus of serotonin receptors in the centre of the brain received no effect from the medication.

Serotonin is a naturally occurring chemical which offers relief to people suffering with depression but lead researcher Dr Rene Hen states that too much of a certain type reduces natural production in the brain.

‘The more antidepressants try to increase serotonin production, the less serotonin the neurons actually produce, and behaviour in mice does not change,’ he said.

The results could help develop a drug that reduces or blocks the receptors activity allowing relief to patients for whom traditional antidepressants are ineffective. However, successful treatment of depression still requires a range of treatments including counselling and psychotherapy.

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