How antidepressants are accumulating in the brains of fish

Published February 8, 2018 This content is archived.

An article in The Economist reports on research by Diana Aga, Henry Woodburn Professor of Chemistry, that found high concentrations of the active ingredients in antidepressants in the brains of fish taken from the Niagara River. The article notes that “fish respond similarly to humans on antidepressants. They are less risk-averse and, it appears, happier. That seems to make them more likely to be eaten,” and that experts are concerned that these sort of changes could trigger the collapse of an entire fish population or seriously disrupt the biodiversity of the lakes, which are the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world.

https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21736558-thats-bad-news-fish-antidepressants-are-finding-their-way-fish-brains