--- title: Study: Antidepressants Change Brain Connectivity in Only a Few Hours description: A new study found that a single dose of some of the most widely used antidepressants change the brain’s architecture after only a few hours canonical: https://time.com/3399997/study-antidepressants-brian-connectivity-quickly/ author: Helen Regan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-19T05:19:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T10:17:45.329Z article:section: Health og:title: Study: Antidepressants Change Brain Connectivity in Only a Few Hours og:description: A new study found that a single dose of some of the most widely used antidepressants change the brain’s architecture after only a few hours og:url: https://time.com/3399997/study-antidepressants-brian-connectivity-quickly/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Study: Antidepressants Change Brain Connectivity in Only a Few Hours twitter:description: A new study found that a single dose of some of the most widely used antidepressants change the brain’s architecture after only a few hours twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Study Finds Antidepressants Change Brain Connectivity in Just a Few Hours > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=2f7e00e6-2e68-4f55-89cb-ce0522d74291&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 240,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 54.1% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Written by TIME's health desk | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Health conscious and health connected. A broad health-conscious audience with a credible institutional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### TIME Health Matters: key statements * Health Matters is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Health Matters is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=2f7e00e6-2e68-4f55-89cb-ce0522d74291&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/subscribe?i=2f7e00e6-2e68-4f55-89cb-ce0522d74291&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's health newsletter? Health Matters is TIME's daily health newsletter, written by TIME's health journalists. It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. It reaches 240,000 subscribers with a 54.1% open rate as of August 2026, TIME's highest open rate of any newsletter. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Sep 19, 2014 5:19 AM UTC by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Sep 19, 2014 5:19 AM UTC A new study published in the journal [_Current Biology_](http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2814%2901037-9) Thursday found that a single dose of some of the most widely used antidepressants change the brain’s architecture after only a few hours. However, patients who take drugs to treat depression usually don’t report any improvement until weeks later, the [L.A.](http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-antidepressants-brain-structure-20140918-story.html)[ _Times_](http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-antidepressants-brain-structure-20140918-story.html) reports. Researchers hope their findings will allow doctors to determine whether or not a patient will respond to certain psychiatric drugs by way of a brain scan. Low levels of the chemical transmitter serotonin in the brain are associated with depression. Antidepressants work by blocking how serotonin is reabsorbed into the brain. The drugs are known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs. To conduct the study, researchers compared connections in the brain’s gray matter of patients who took antidepressants and those who did not, the _Times_ reports. “We just tell them to let their minds wander and not think of anything particularly dramatic or upsetting,” said neuroscientist Dr. Julia Sacher, a co-author of the study. After mapping the connections researchers found that when more serotonin was present in the gray matter it meant a decrease in the brain’s functional connectivity. But some areas of the brain didn’t follow this pattern. “It was interesting to see two patterns that seemed to go in the opposite direction,” Sacher said. “What was really surprising was that the entire brain would light up after only three hours. We didn’t expect that.” Sacher said more research was needed, but the findings of the study could help to tailor individual therapy for those suffering from depression. \[[_L.A. Times_](http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-antidepressants-brain-structure-20140918-story.html)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3399997/study-antidepressants-brian-connectivity-quickly/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3399997/study-antidepressants-brian-connectivity-quickly/"},"headline":"Study Finds Antidepressants Change Brain Connectivity in Just a Few Hours","datePublished":"2014-09-19T05:19:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:17:45.329Z","description":"Researchers hope the findings will one day help to tailor individual therapy for those suffering from depression","url":"https://time.com/3399997/study-antidepressants-brian-connectivity-quickly/","keywords":["Mental Health","Depression","Therapy","Antidepressants"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mental-health/","name":"Mental Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3399997/study-antidepressants-brian-connectivity-quickly/","name":"Study Finds Antidepressants Change Brain Connectivity in Just a Few Hours"}}]}] ```