J Korean Soc Biol Psychiatry.
1999 Jul;6(1):3-11.
Neurobiology of Depression
Abstract
- At the beginning, researches on the biology of depression or affective illness have focused mainly on the receptor functions and neuroendocrine activities. And the studies of the past years did not break new theoretical background, but the recent advances in the research on the molecular mechanisms underlying neural communication and signal transduction do add some insights to many established ideas. This article will overview some of the more recent advances in the clinical researches of depression. Our major concerns to be presented here include the following : (1) alterations in the post-synaptic neural transduction ; (2) changes in the neurons of hypothalamic neuropeptides ; (3) decreased peptidase enzyme activities : (4) associations of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis abnormalities with serotonin neurotransmission ; (5) role of serotonin transporter ; (6) changes in the responsiveness of intracellular calcium ion levels ; (7) the inositol deficiency theory of lithium and depression ; (8) the transcription factors including immediate early genes ; (9) recent genetic studies in some families. This brief overview will suggest that changes in DNA occur during antidepressant therapy. These changes at the DNA level initiating a cascade of events underlying antidepressant modality will give us the insight on the molecular biological basis of the pathogenesis of depression and cues for a new class of antidepressants.
MeSH Terms
-
Antidepressive Agents
Axis
Biology
Calcium
Cues
Depression*
DNA
Genes, Immediate-Early
Humans
Inositol
Lithium
Neurobiology*
Neurons
Neuropeptides
Serotonin
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
Signal Transduction
Synaptic Transmission
Transcription Factors
Antidepressive Agents
Calcium
DNA
Inositol
Lithium
Neuropeptides
Serotonin
Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
Transcription Factors
