New research from Rice University finds that antidepressants may actually reduce negative memories in individuals suffering from depression while improving overall memory function.
The study, “Perceived antidepressant efficacy associated with reduced negative and enhanced neutral mnemonic discrimination,” appears in the latest edition of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. It examines how antidepressant use in depressed individuals affects memories, both good and bad.
Stephanie Leal, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice, is the study’s lead author. She said the study’s main finding about the link between antidepressants and memories was an important one, because there is still much to be learned about how these drugs work.
“While antidepressants have been around since the 1950s, we still don’t really know how they work,” Leal said. “They only work about 50% of the…
