A medical study in Queensland has shed new light on the impact that some anti-depressants have on a person’s brain.
Researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute tested how a part of the brain responded to chemicals in different anti-depressants.
It was thought drugs like prozac produced new cells in the brain that then improved a person’s mood.
However, testing found this was not the case.
Lead researcher Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri says another drug tested did produce new cells.
She says researchers now know how to look for new treatments.
“And test them to see whether it improves learning memory or acts like an anti-anxiety drug,” she said.
Dr Jhaveri says the research does not mean prozac doesn’t work, but that was not the focus of the research.