Reading (95_96)
The translational biochemical theory of depression was the biogenic monoamine hypothesis which has been the main framework for explaining depression for the last 25 years. This theory was originally based on the observation that reserpine, which depletes monomine neurotransmitters (e.g. noradrenaline and serotonin) in the brain, produces depression. This hypothesis proposes that depression results from a deficiency in these monoamine at critical synapses in the brain. it is supported by the action of antidepressant drugs, which relieve depression by increasing the turnover of monoamine neurotransmitters, but it cannot explain the delayed action of these antidepressant drugs.