Learning mechanisms of pharmacological treatments for depression (RELMED)
Professor Quentin Huys
University College London, UK
First-line antidepressants target the neuromodulators serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline. We know a lot about the roles these neuromodulators play in reinforcement learning – the process of using our experience to improve the outcomes of future choices. But we don’t know the mechanisms through which antidepressants relieve depression. Professor Huys and his team hypothesise that different antidepressants work by altering different reinforcement learning processes in the brain. They plan to investigate the learning mechanisms of antidepressants through trials in which patients with depression receive an antidepressant which targets serotonin, an antidepressant which targets dopamine and noradrenaline, or a placebo.
Link to an original post here.