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Cited by 767Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorTreatment of Major DepressionTryptophan and brain disorders

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 456 of the 456 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Neurobiological Similarities in Depression and Drug Dependence: A Self-Medication Hypothesis

Markou, A·1998·Neuropsychopharmacology
DOI 10.1016/s0893-133x(97)00113-9
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Abstract

Epidemiological and clinical data indicate high comorbidity between depression and drug dependence that may reflect an attempt to self-medicate with drugs of abuse. The present review examines whether these two psychiatric disorders are related by attempting to identify similarities in the neurobiology of depression and drug dependence. Emphasis is put on the neuromechanisms that may mediate specific core symptoms of both disorders that reflect alterations in reward and motivational processes. First, the epidemiological and clinical data on the comorbidity of the two disorders are reviewed briefly. Then, the neuroadaptations associated with psychomotor stimulant, opiate, ethanol, nicotine, and benzodiazepine dependence in animals are reviewed. Finally, the neurotransmitter systems whose function appears to be altered in depression (i.e., serotonin, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, corticotropin releasing factor, neuropeptide Y, and somatostatin), as revealed primarily by animal studies, are discussed. It is concluded that drug dependence and depression may be associated with alterations in some of the same neurotransmitter systems and, in particular, with alterations of neurotransmitter function in limbic-related brain structures. Thus, these two psychiatric disorders may be linked by some shared neurobiology. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether drug abuse and depression are different symptomatic expressions of the same preexisting neurobiological abnormalities, or whether repeated drug abuse leads to the abnormalities mediating depression (i.e., drug-induced depressions). The hypothesis of self-medication of non-drug- and drug-induced depressions with drugs of abuse is also discussed as a potentially important explanatory concept in understanding the observed clinical comorbidity of these two psychiatric disorders.

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Metadata

Authors
Markou, A.
Affiliations
Scripps Research Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Markou, A
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
1998-03
Volume
18
Issue
3
Pages
135-174
ISSN
0893-133X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0893-133x(97)00113-9
OpenAlex
W2042152382
Cited by
767
References
456
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 26
FWCI
2.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5p50da004060-13)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA 00213, DA04060, DA 00112)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
Keywords
depression, drug addiction, self-medication hypothesis, comorbidities, reward and motivation, neurotransmitter systems, limbic system, stimulant use disorder, opioid use disorder, ethanol dependence, nicotine dependence, benzodiazepine dependence, drug-induced depression, serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA, neuropeptide Y, somatostatin, corticotropin-releasing factor
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Depressive Disorder, Neuropeptide Y, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, Comorbidity, Substance-Related Disorders

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