A study finds that happy worms have healthy eggs. Worms might not be depressed, per se. However, this does not exclude the possibility that they could still benefit from antidepressants. According to a recent study by researchers at Northwestern University, roundworms, which are widely utilized
The larger spheres are egg chambers. Each chamber contains a future egg and associated nurse cells . The covering sheet is made of follicle cells . Fluoxetine increases division of follicle cells in flies. Credit: Ilya Ruvinsky/Northwestern UniversityWorms might not be depressed, per se. However, this does not exclude the possibility that they could still benefit from antidepressants.
Precursor egg cells inside a female roundworm’s gonad. Fluoxetine increases division of germline precursor cells in worms. Credit: Ilya Ruvinsky/Northwestern University When female roundworms sensed the male pheromones, they shifted their energy and resources away from their overall body health and toward increasing reproductive health. “The pheromone coaxes the female into sending help to her eggs and shortchanging the rest of her body,” Ruvinsky said. “It’s not all or nothing; it’s shifting the balance.”
Researchers continuously exposed the aging worms to SSRIs at concentrations comparable to those used to treat anxiety and depression in humans. Although egg quality typically drops precipitously as the worms age, worms treated with fluoxetine managed to stave off the decline. “How do you get the components to make higher-quality eggs? You take components from other eggs,” Ruvinsky explained. “Many eggs die and get sent to the ‘salvage yard.’ You break up the parts and use those for the few eggs that survive.”Wondering whether or not the finding was exclusive to worms, Ruvinsky’s team replicated the study in fruit flies. Yet again, exposure to fluoxetine improved the quality of eggs for older female flies.
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