New research may help fine-tune therapies for depression. Current drugs for depression target the regulatory process for neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine, and while they are effective in some cases, they do not appear to work all the time.

Recent findings suggest that synucleins, a family of small proteins in the brain, are key players in the management of neurotransmitters. Researchers have found elevated levels of gamma-synuclein in the brains of both depressed animals and humans.

Georgetown University Medical Center researchers observed increased depressive behavior in mice where gamma-synuclein acted alone to regulate neurotransmitters. "These findings show the importance of, and clarify a functional role for, gamma synuclein in depression and may provide new therapeutic targets in treatment of this disease," Adam Oaks, a student researcher in the Laboratory of Molecular Neurochemistry at GUMC, was quoted as saying. "Understanding how current therapies work with the synucleins is important because the drugs don't work for all patients, and some are associated with side effects including an increased risk of suicide."