Maria Konnikova
December 26, 2015
“Fibroblast Growth Factor 9 Is a Novel Modulator of Negative Affect,” from PNAS
Depression is notoriously tough to handle pharmaceutically. We still don’t know how S.S.R.I.s work, for instance—or even if they work at all. This paper offers a previously untried target for treatment: FGF9, a neurotrophin (a type of protein) that appears to play a key role in regulating embryonic development and cell differentiation and seems also to be important in regulating our emotional state.