Pollack et al

While Li. Et al. observes the effect of the antidepressant, Pollack et al.  observes the behavioral effects and uses adequate evidence about behavioral antidepressants in animal models by demonstrating the method of using learned safety in the experiments. Like many of the other articles we discussed, many of the tests used in the experiment included a forced swim test, unpredictable chronic mild stress and ablation of neurogenesis. Although these tests had much distinction on which group experienced more depression, I feel as if they should have included some more behavioral tests only because it would have shown perhaps more pathways when comparing both groups. However, using the two models of safety condition and fear condition was what I found interesting about this article. For each of the test the groups went through, it seemed that the learned safety group showed decrease in depression. This is almost a creative method of finding a way to create an antidepressant-like effects. It would be interesting to see the effects of the learned safety in an acute setting rather than a long term setting. We know that BDNF shows definite increase when it is in a long term setting, but with the conditions of the learned safety would it be possible to have some effect with BDNF? This method also reminded me of another technique called rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) in which after a period of time, this method decrease depression in a non-invasive way. Using techniques like learned safety and rTMS can help researchers find ways of decreasing the side effects of that antidepressants may cause in humans. Validating these learned safety methods can ultimately continue to grow to find ways that behavioral effects of antidepressants can help humans with depression.