Neurochemical and metabolic aspects of antidepressants: an overview

Antidepressants, in addition to being effective therapeutic agents for depr ession, have also proved to be multifaceted drugs useful for treating a num ber of other psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Despite the widespread u se of these drugs, much remains to be understood about their mechanisms of action and other important aspects, such as their metabolism and potential interactions with other drugs. This article reviews research conducted in t he authors' laboratories on various aspects of antidepressants, including t race amines and antidepressants, gamma -aminobutyric acid and antidepressan ts, drug metabolism, development and application of rapid, sensitive assay procedures for antidepressants and their metabolites; and drug development based on analogues of the antidepressants phenelzine and tranylcypromine. T he significance of this work to future drug development is also discussed.