title: The neurobiology of suicide - A Review of post-mortem studies.
abstract: The neurobiology of suicidal behaviour, which constitutes one of the most serious problems both in psychiatry and general medical practice, still remains to a large degree unclear. As a result, scientists constantly look for new opportunities of explaining the causes underlying suicidality. In order to elucidate the biological changes occurring in the brains of the suicide victims, studies based on post-mortem brain tissue samples are increasingly being used. These studies employ different research methods to provide an insight into abnormalities in brain functioning on various levels, including gene and protein expression, neuroplasticity and neurotransmission, as well as many other areas. The aim of this paper to summarize the available data on the post-mortem studies, to provide an overview of main research directions and the most up-to-date findings, and to indicate the possibilities of further research in this field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimerstrasse 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furczyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimerstrasse 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbora
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schutová
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimerstrasse 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Tanja M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimerstrasse 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany ; College of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 PP UK.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thome
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Rostock, St.-Georg-Strasse 108, 18055 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Büttner
keywords: Autopsy; Biological Psychiatry; Depression; Genetics; Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; Neural Plasticity; Neurotransmitter; Proteomics