Study finds breathing in laughing gas can help reduce depression symptoms Lisa Rathke/AP FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 photo, Scott Brinkman, chief of Stowe Department of Emergency Medical Services, demonstrates how nitrous oxide is used in an ambulance, in Stowe, Vt. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke) and last updated 2021-06-10 14:43:47-04 A new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis found that the effects of inhaling nitrous oxide gas, which is better known as laughing gas, can help reduce the symptoms of depression. The study was published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine.