Abstract
The 1950s saw the clinical introduction of the first two specifically antidepressant drugs: iproniazid, a monoamine- oxidase inhibitor that had been used in the treatment of tuberculosis, and imipramine, the first drug in the tricyclic antidepressant family. Iproniazid and imipramine made two fundamental contributions to the development of psychiatry: one of a social-health nature, consisting in an authentic change in the psychiatric care of depressive patients; and the other of a purely pharmacological nature, since these agents have constituted an indispensable research tool for neurobiology and psychopharmacology, permitting, among other things, the postulation of the first aetiopathogenic hypotheses of depressive disorders. The clinical introduction of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in the late 1980s, once again revolutionized therapy for depression, opening the way for new families of antidepressants. The present work reviews, from a historical perspective, the entire process that led to the discovery of these drugs, as well as their contribution to the development of the neuroscientific disciplines. However, all of these antidepressants, like the rest of those currently available for clinical practice, share the same action mechanism, which involves the modulation of monoaminergic neurotransmission at a synaptic level, so that the future of antidepressant therapy would seem to revolve around the search for extraneuronal non-aminergic mechanisms or mechanisms that modulate the intraneuronal biochemical pathways.
Keywords: Depression, antidepressants, iproniazid, imipramine, fluoxetine, monoaminergic neurotransmission, history
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title: Monoaminergic Neurotransmission: The History of the Discovery of Antidepressants from 1950s Until Today
Volume: 15 Issue: 14
Author(s): Francisco Lopez-Munoz and Cecilio Alamo
Affiliation:
Keywords: Depression, antidepressants, iproniazid, imipramine, fluoxetine, monoaminergic neurotransmission, history
Abstract: The 1950s saw the clinical introduction of the first two specifically antidepressant drugs: iproniazid, a monoamine- oxidase inhibitor that had been used in the treatment of tuberculosis, and imipramine, the first drug in the tricyclic antidepressant family. Iproniazid and imipramine made two fundamental contributions to the development of psychiatry: one of a social-health nature, consisting in an authentic change in the psychiatric care of depressive patients; and the other of a purely pharmacological nature, since these agents have constituted an indispensable research tool for neurobiology and psychopharmacology, permitting, among other things, the postulation of the first aetiopathogenic hypotheses of depressive disorders. The clinical introduction of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in the late 1980s, once again revolutionized therapy for depression, opening the way for new families of antidepressants. The present work reviews, from a historical perspective, the entire process that led to the discovery of these drugs, as well as their contribution to the development of the neuroscientific disciplines. However, all of these antidepressants, like the rest of those currently available for clinical practice, share the same action mechanism, which involves the modulation of monoaminergic neurotransmission at a synaptic level, so that the future of antidepressant therapy would seem to revolve around the search for extraneuronal non-aminergic mechanisms or mechanisms that modulate the intraneuronal biochemical pathways.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Lopez-Munoz Francisco and Alamo Cecilio, Monoaminergic Neurotransmission: The History of the Discovery of Antidepressants from 1950s Until Today, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2009; 15 (14) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161209788168001
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161209788168001 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Platensimycin: A Promising Antimicrobial Targeting Fatty Acid Synthesis
Current Medicinal Chemistry Editorial
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry HIV-1 p24-nef DNA Vaccine Plus Protein Boost Expands T-Cell Responses in BALB/c
Current Drug Delivery Death Due to COVID-19 in an Infant with Combined Immunodeficiencies
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Trace and Minor Element Concentrations in Aqueous Extract of the Herbal Medicinal Plants Tamarindus indica and Hibiscus sabdiffora
Current Nutrition & Food Science Oxidative Stress in the Cochlea: An Update
Current Medicinal Chemistry Antimicrobial Effects of Chemical Compounds Isolated from Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria: A Review Paper
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Current Strategies in TB Immunotherapy
Current Molecular Medicine Rheumatoid Nodules and Lung
Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews Editorial [Towards an Ecology of Collective Innovation: Human Variome Project (HVP), Rare Disease Consortium for Autosomal Loci (RaDiCAL) and Data-Enabled Life Sciences Alliance (DELSA)]
Current Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine Adjunctive Immunotherapy of Mycobacterial Infections
Current Pharmaceutical Design Effects of Alcohol in the Lung
Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews Intercalation of Erlotinib and Pemetrexed in the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Current Drug Targets Synthesis of 2-, 3- or 4-phenylsubtituted Chalcones Based on 4- phenylamino-6-nitro-2-[(E)-2-phenylvinyl]quinoline, Evaluation of their Antimicrobial and Antifungal Activity
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Behcets Syndrome: Literature Review
Current Rheumatology Reviews Preliminary Screening Indicates Promising Antimicrobial Properties of the Stem Bark Extracts of Macaranga rosea
Anti-Infective Agents Pharmacogenetics of Phase I and Phase II Drug Metabolism
Current Pharmaceutical Design Potential Use of Dendritic Cells for Anti-Atherosclerotic Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children
Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery Probiotics/Prebiotics in Viral Respiratory Infections: Implication for Emerging Pathogens
Recent Patents on Biotechnology