title: Mechanisms of action of antidepressants: from neurotransmitter systems to signaling pathways.
abstract: Antidepressants are commonly used in the treatment of anxiety and depression, medical conditions that affect approximately 17-20% of the population. The clinical effects of antidepressants take several weeks to manifest, suggesting that these drugs induce adaptive changes in brain structures affected by anxiety and depression. In order to develop shorter-acting and more effective drugs for the treatment of anxiety and depression, it is important to understand how antidepressants bring about their beneficial effects. Recent reports suggest that antidepressants can induce neurogenesis in the adult brain, although the mechanisms involved are not clearly understood. In this review, we describe the different neurotransmitter systems that are affected by anxiety and depression and how they are modulated by antidepressant treatment with a focus on signaling molecules and pathways that are activated during neurotransmitter receptor induced neurogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: Chirisse
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Ashwana D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Fricker
authors.forename: Lakshmi A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Devi
authors.forename: Ivone
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gomes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000502:physiology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects; D015398:Signal Transduction; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid