The science of mice

"There are big drawbacks in the current therapies for depression," says senior author John Traynor, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at the U-M Medical School and director of the U-M Substance Abuse Research Center. "Therapeutic benefits are delayed, there are unwanted side effects, and it's not unusual for depressive symptoms to return."

They discovered, through messing with mice (again, poor mice), that there is one specific serotonin receptor that deals with depression, and now they might be able to target just that one. Usually, SSRI's "flood the brain with serotonin" and hit all the receptors. That's what causes side effects, and sometimes the brain can get immune to the SSRI, which is why sometimes you have to change meds until you find one that works, and even then, you have to mess with them occasionally.

Science is fascinating.