Dopamine agonist-responsive depression.
Dopaminergic dysfunction is implicated in the pathophysiology of treatment-resistant depression. In this review, we describe the putative role of dopamine in depression, summarize the evidence for the efficacy of dopamine receptor agonists in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression, and discuss the underlying mechanisms by which these medications work. Both preclinical and clinical data suggest that adjunctive dopamine agonists could be a promising option for the treatment of such a condition, indicating that there is a dopamine agonist-responsive subgroup of depression. Future clinical studies are warranted to clarify unresolved issues regarding dopamine agonists such as long-term efficacy, efficacy as a monotherapy, and efficacy for juvenile and senile depression. Further basic research is also necessary to fully understand how dopamine acts in the brain of depressed patients.
Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
Hiroaki
H
Hori
Hiroshi
H
Kunugi
D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans
D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D004298:Dopamine
augmentation therapy; depression; dopamine agonist; nucleus accumbens; pramipexole