title: A breach in the scaffold: the possible role of cytoskeleton dysfunction in the pathogenesis of major depression.
abstract: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders with inadequately understood disease mechanisms. It has long been considered that dendritic regression and decrease in the number of dendritic spines are involved in depression. Dendrites made up of microtubules and actin filaments form synapses with neighboring neurons, which come together as an important communication network. Cytoskeletal proteins undergo post-translational modifications to define their structure and function. In depression and other psychiatric disorders, post-translational modifications may be disrupted that can result in altered cytoskeletal functions. The disruption of microtubule and actin in terms of morphology and functions may be a leading cause of dendritic regression and decrease in dendritic spine in depression.
authors.affiliation: Neurodysfunction Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, LKS Faculty of Medicine, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
authors.forename: Ginger Tsz-Hin
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Raymond Chuen-Chung
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Andrew Chi-Kin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Law
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000473:pathology; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000473:pathology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D008870:Microtubules / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology