In 1955, Bernard Brodie and Arvid Carlsson found that an herbal drug called reserpine seemed to make animals " lethargic, " " apathetic, " and " depressed."

1955 年，Bernard Brodie 和 Arvid Carlsson 发现，在摄入了一种名叫蛇根碱的草药后，动物会表现出“无精打采”、“无动于衷”以及“情绪低落”等多种症状。

Then, it was found that the drugs iproniazid and imipramine could prevent the lethargy and apathy if given before the depressing drug reserpine — iproniazid and imipramine seemed to have an anti-depressant effect.

研究发现，在摄入蛇根碱前服用异内肼和异内嗪这两种药物，可阻止嗜睡和冷漠等抑郁症状的出现，也就是说，异内肼和异内嗪似乎具有抗抑郁作用。