In the current study, we demonstrate that oral treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) leads to modulation of vagus nerve activity and that intact vagal signaling between the gut and brain is required to mediate the behavioral effects of these drugs in the tail suspension test (TST), a commonly used screen for potential antidepressants.

Our results lend weight to the possibility that the vagal pathway connecting gut to brain may provide a novel chemotherapeutic opportunity for treatment of some psychiatric disorders. While further study is both necessary and ongoing, we believe that these findings may point towards a newly invigorated approach in the continuing search for new drugs, dietary supplements or bacteria to beneficially modulate these conditions through their effects on vagal afferent communication.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50807-8

https://psiquiatria.com/depresion/los-inhibidores-selectivos-orales-de-la-recaptacion-de-serotonina-activan-la-senalizacion-del-cerebro-intestinal-dependiente-del-nervio-vago/