A European research team’s latest findings show that Botulinum toxin (Botox), often used in cosmetic surgery to reduce facial wrinkles, is also effective in relieving symptoms of depression and is expected to be put to clinical use in the future. A team of researchers from the Hannover Medical School in Germany and the University of Basel in Switzerland issued a press release on the 27th saying that botulinum toxin injections in the forehead can provide rapid, significant and lasting relief to depressed patients. In the experiment, the researchers divided 30 depressed patients equally into two groups and injected Botulinum toxin type A into the forehead of one group of patients and a placebo (i.e., a preparation or dosage form without any pharmacological ingredients) into the other group, and compared the responses of the two groups of patients. The results showed that after two weeks, patients who received botulinum toxin injections showed improvement in their depression symptoms; after six weeks, 60% of these patients had more than half of their depression symptoms relieved; and after 16 weeks, patients showed further improvement in their symptoms. In contrast, the other group of patients did not show significant improvement in their symptoms. Tillman, a psychiatrist at the Hannover Medical School who participated in the study, said that the patients had no significant improvement in their symptoms. Krüger said Botox injections have the potential to be a new treatment for depression. This method has relatively few side effects and is economical and safe, and the effects can last for months after a single injection. However, Krüger pointed out that before this method is widely used, there are still some problems to be solved, such as researchers first need to figure out the mechanism of action of botulinum toxin. Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin secreted by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and is extremely toxic. Because botulinum toxin temporarily paralyzes muscles, it is often used in medicine to treat facial spasms and other muscle movement disorders. In addition, this toxin is also effective in eliminating wrinkles and is therefore often used in cosmetic surgery.