Antidepressant drugs could be repurposed to prevent TBI-induced neuronal damage

A recent study published in Scientific Reports has indicated that lithium, currently used to treat bipolar disorder and depression, and rapamycin, an anticancer drug, could help to preserve brain function and prevent secondary nerve cell damage in patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The research team from Rutgers University (NJ, USA) investigated the drugs with nerve cells in vitro, finding that cells were successfully protected from glutamate-induced excitotoxicity with both lithium and rapamycin. Professor in the department of cell biology and neuroscience, and lead author of this study, Bonnie Firestein, commented on the importance of this study: "Many medications...