title: Cross-species affective functions of the medial forebrain bundle-implications for the treatment of affective pain and depression in humans.
abstract: Major depression (MD) might be conceptualized as pathological under-arousal of positive affective systems as parts of a network of brain regions assessing, reconciling and storing emotional stimuli versus an over-arousal of parts of the same network promoting separation-distress/GRIEF. In this context depression can be explained as an emotional pain state that is the result of a disregulation of several sub-systems that under physiological conditions are concerned with bodily or emotional homeostasis of the human organism in a social context. Physiologically, homeostasis is maintained by influences of the SEEKING system represented - amongst others - by the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). Neuroimaging studies show that the MFB has a proven access to the GRIEF/Sadness system. A functional decoupling of these systems with a dysfunctional GRIEF pathway might result in MD. Therewith GRIEF and SEEKING/PLEASURE systems play important roles as opponents in maintenance of emotional homeostasis. Chronic electrical modulation of the reward SEEKING pathways with deep brain stimulation might show anti-depressive effects in humans suffering from MD by re-initiating an emotional equilibrium (of higher or lower activity) between these opposing systems.
authors.affiliation: Stereotaxy and MR-based OR-techniques/Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Volker A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Coenen
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Schlaepfer
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maedler
authors.forename: Jaak
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Panksepp
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008474:Medial Forebrain Bundle / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D009042:Motivation; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000502:physiology; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D012201:Reward; D013045:Species Specificity