Biologists of the Ural Federal University (Urfu) found in freshwater fish, the phenomenon of despair, which can help in faster select better drugs against depression for people, the press service of the University.
Studies were conducted on freshwater fishes of zebrudaya, which, according to experts, along with the worm-a nematode, Drosophila fly, mouse, and human are included in the “elite club” completely genetically identified species and convenient for genetic studies. As researchers found, the fish exposed to classical antidepressants – amitriptyline and sertraline – and reduce the level of their despair.
“We first discovered the fish of zebrudaya the phenomenon of despair Given that genetically fish and people alike 70%, we have made the search for potential biological targets for antidepressant drugs are much less complex and less expensive than rodents,” – reports RIA “Novosti” the words of a leading researcher of the scientific laboratory of advanced studies in petroleum chemistry, chemical technology and biotechnology Urfa Alan Kaloev.
The researcher noted that using fish zebrudaya, science will quickly find, test and select a new, more advanced drugs against depression – the mass of the brain disease, which affects almost 10% of people, many of them with ineffective treatment commit suicide.
As added in the press service of the University previously this kind of research was conducted on rodents. Thus, scientists “aged” the depression another 340 million years and showed that desperation is one of the symptoms of depression – a far more ancient mechanism than hitherto considered.
