India, July 3 -- Antidepressants have strong impact on male brains - with the nature of the impact depending on the age of the subject - but do not affect female brains, a new study of rats has shown, suggesting that there needs to be more exploration of the physiological effects of such drugs, something that could eventually influence how they are used in treatments.

The neurohormone serotonin plays a large role in shaping emotional pathways in the brain, because of which its regulation is a common target of antidepressants. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prominent intervention for depression, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric disorders, and allow for more serotonin in the brain as a result.

Fluoxetine -...