title: Adult neurogenesis and mental illness.
abstract: Several lines of evidence suggest that adult neurogenesis, the production of new neurons in adulthood, may play a role in psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Medications and other treatments for mental disorders often promote the proliferation of new neurons; the time course for maturation and integration of new neurons in circuitry parallels the delayed efficacy of psychiatric therapies; adverse and beneficial experiences similarly affect development of mental illness and neurogenesis; and ablation of new neurons in adulthood alters the behavioral impact of drugs in animal models. At present, the links between adult neurogenesis and depression seem stronger than those suggesting a relationship between new neurons and anxiety or schizophrenia. Yet, even in the case of depression there is currently no direct evidence for a causative role. This article reviews the data relating adult neurogenesis to mental illness and discusses where research needs to head in the future.
authors.affiliation: Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Schoenfeld
authors.affiliation: Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Heather A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*