Selective Serotonin Reuptake Transporter (SSRI)

Software:

Adobe After Effects and Maxon Cinema 4D (Redshift)

Audience:

Medical and Pharmacy students

Project Overview

This animation aims to educate medical and pharmacy students on how serotonin moves and interacts in the neural network. Additionally, how SSRI plays a role in targeting and increasing serotonin’s effects.

The audience is provided introductory information of the neurotransmitter and how it stimulates bodily functions through its movement from the post-synaptic neuron to the pre-synaptic neuron.

The key moment is serotonin’s reuptake through SERT after its interaction with serotonin receptors. SSRI is introduced later in the animation to highlight its function of binding to SERT, which prevents serotonin’s reuptake. This binding effect allows serotonin to remain longer in the synaptic cleft and increase more activation downstream.

Moodboard

Storyboards

Top of SSRI

Production & Post-Production

During production, the storyboard was slightly adjusted to fit the script's narration and ensure scientific accuracy. For example, the movement of the neurons' action potential was extended to the axon terminal, and then the camera zoomed in and transitioned to the next scene.

Serotonin, SSRI, and serotonin receptors were imported from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The other assets were modeled in Cinema 4D.

Files were rendered and exported as OpenEXR for post-production purposes. Visual effects, labels, audio, and sound were added during post-production.

The animation itself serves as practice and improvement of honing different skillsets. Examples of skillset are storyboard color palette and metaphorical design, storytelling, materials of models, scene lighting, scene composition, camera movement, and use of bokeh.