Mouse Brains in Buy a Ticket, Take a Ride

Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, those are the easily recognizable brain chemicals. Sometimes I also read about oxytocin, endocannabinoids, or THC receptors. But what is more interesting is the research in chemicals I’ve never heard of before such as Beta-catenin, what’s that?

Scientists discover brain protein can make some people more vulnerable to depression than others.

Studying the chemical workings of reward and motivation with mice brains: more B-catenin helped the mice cope with stress. Studying the brain tissue of depressed humans, they find less B-catenin- for some reason it has been suppressed in depressed people.

This is not unlike the working concept seen in our understanding of other more well understood neurochemicals related to our mood, where we are boosting serotonin (anti-depressants) or dopamine (stimulants) for example, which we have correlated with feeling better or, in particular, not just better, but rewarded.

What is more interesting is that the B-catenin is suppressed regardless of antidepressant use, so the existing treatments have no observable effect on B-catenin. This is very important because this is not only a totally new model or a new explanation for clinical depression; It’s a new lead for a totally new beneficial treatment.

I do not know if B-catenin, specifically, is what I am waiting for, but I know that one day they are going to invent my new favorite drug. So the study is good news.

Comments are depressing though, such as the popular pharmaceuticals designed to keep us ignorant and hooked on crap theory. Also computers are bad, fire is scary, Edison was a witch.

Next up, maybe I will discuss The brains of marijuana users are different, especially if they start young

Last updated December 04, 2022