Drugs that alter the availability of norepinephrine and serotonin are not clinically effective in the treatment of depression for several weeks. Which of the following does this finding suggest?
A) These neurotransmitters are not involved in depression.
B) It is overactivity of these neurotransmitters that underlies depression, not underactivity.
C) That the effectiveness of antidepressants is a placebo effect, as opposed to a result of a biochemical manipulation.
D) Changes in neurotransmitter function, as opposed to neurotransmitter level, cause depression.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The delay in clinical effectiveness of drugs that alter norepinephrine and serotonin availability suggests that the underlying mechanism of depression involves changes in neurotransmitter function rather than simply changes in neurotransmitter levels. This is because immediate changes in levels do not result in immediate mood improvements, indicating a more complex process of adaptation or functional change within the brain's neurotransmitter systems.

Drugs That Alter the Availability of Norepinephrine and Serotonin Are