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Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...

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Antidepressant drugs are a class of medications primarily used for treating various mood disorders, including major depression, anxiety disorders, and other related conditions. These medicines work by modulating the neurotransmitter balance within the brain, alleviating depressive symptoms. Antidepressants can be broadly categorized into several groups according to their mechanism of action and chemical structure: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-Norepinephrine...

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Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs

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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Major depression: emerging therapeutics.

Srijan Sen¹, Gerard Sanacora

¹Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, New York

|August 16, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

New antidepressant drug development is shifting towards rational design based on a deeper understanding of depression

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Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

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Published on: February 24, 2023

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Pharmacology
Psychiatry

Background:

First antidepressants (monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants) emerged 50 years ago, improving mood in ~50% of patients.
Current antidepressants are modifications of these, primarily acting on monoaminergic mechanisms, with limited advances in efficacy and speed.
Recent decades show exponential growth in understanding depression's neurobiology.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the biological basis for novel antidepressant classes.
To discuss preclinical and clinical evidence for promising new antidepressants.
To highlight a shift towards rational drug design informed by pathophysiology.

Main Methods:

Review of scientific literature on antidepressant mechanisms and development.
Analysis of biological basis, preclinical data, and clinical evidence for novel antidepressant classes.
Focus on pathophysiologically informed approaches to drug discovery.

Main Results:

Despite modifications, current antidepressants offer marginal improvements in efficacy and speed over older classes.
Advances in understanding depression's neurobiology are paving the way for new therapeutic strategies.
Several promising classes of antidepressants are emerging from a pathophysiologically informed approach.

Conclusions:

The field is approaching an inflection point in antidepressant development.
Future antidepressants are expected to be rationally designed based on biological systems understanding.
Pathophysiologically informed approaches promise more effective and targeted depression treatments.