Tricyclics, an early generation of them, blocked protein channels called serotonin transporters through which serotonin is reabsorbed by a neuron after it has done its job.

三环化合物，它们的早期一代，阻断了称为血清素转运蛋白的蛋白质通道，血清素通过该通道在完成其工作后被神经元重新吸收。