title: New views on antidepressant action.
abstract: The increasing incidence of depressive spectrum disorders worldwide, together with the failure of current medication to effectively treat a significant proportion of cases, calls for a better knowledge of the physiopathology of depression and of the therapeutic action of antidepressants. Recent research has unveiled an array of new mechanisms through which antidepressant drugs help restore neuronal plasticity and neurotransmission. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in the field, focusing on the effectors and molecular pathways that sustain the action of antidepressants. Grasping the overall brain response to antidepressants, with an integrated overview of the neurotransmitter systems, signaling cascades and neural circuits at play, should help to design more potent and selective therapies.
authors.affiliation: Cellules souches, Signalisation et Prions, INSERM U747, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baudry
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mouillet-Richard
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Launay
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kellermann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents