title: Cell atrophy and loss in depression: reversal by antidepressant treatment.
abstract: Depression is associated with structural alterations in limbic brain regions that control emotion and mood. Studies of chronic stress in animal models and postmortem tissue from depressed subjects demonstrate that these structural alterations result from atrophy and loss of neurons and glial cells. These findings indicate that depression and stress-related mood disorders can be considered mild neurodegenerative disorders. Importantly, there is evidence that these structural alterations can be blocked or even reversed by elimination of stress and by antidepressant treatments. A major focus of current investigations is to characterize the molecular signaling pathways and factors that underlie these effects of stress, depression, and antidepressant treatment. Recent advances in this research area are discussed and potential novel targets for antidepressant development are highlighted.
authors: Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06508, United States.
authors: Mounira
authors: M
authors: Banasr
authors: Jason M
authors: JM
authors: Dwyer
authors: Ronald S
authors: RS
authors: Duman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001284:Atrophy / Q000188:drug therapy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents