Pathophysiology of depression and mechanisms of treatment
Open accessAbstract
Major depression is a serious disorder of enormous sociological and clinical relevance. The discovery of antidepressant drugs in the 1950s led to the first biochemical hypothesis of depression, which suggested that an impairment in central monoaminergic function was the major lesion underlying the disorder. Basic research in all fields of neuroscience (including genetics) and the discovery of new antidepressant drugs have revolutionized our understanding of the mechanisms underlying depression and drug action. There is no doubt that the monoaminergic system is one of the cornerstones of these mechanisms, but multiple interactions with other brain systems and the regulation of central nervous system function must also be taken into account In spite of all the progress achieved so far, we must be aware that many open questions remain to be resolved in the future.
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In medically ill children, various biological factors (e.g., inflammation or disruption to metabolic pathways impacting neurotransmitter signaling) may contribute to the onset of MDD.
“In medically ill children, various biological factors (e.g., inflammation or disruption to metabolic pathways impacting neurotransmitter signaling) may contribute to the onset of MDD [29].”
From Psychological and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Youth with Serious Physical Illness (2022) · cites this paper as [29]
The Neuroimmune mediators section (page unavailable) says immune activation may contribute to the onset of depressive symptoms. The Biochemical basis of depression section (page unavailable) links disrupted neurotransmitter signaling to depression. The paper does not establish these mechanisms specifically in medically ill children, and it discusses signaling pathways rather than metabolic-pathway disruption. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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References 104 · Cited by 286
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- Authors
- Brigitta, B.
- Affiliations
- Psychiatric Clinic of University Munich, Department of Neurochemistry, Munich, Germany
- Venue
- Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2002-03-31
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 7-20
- ISSN
- 1294-8322 (ISSN-L)
- 1958-5969
- PMC
- PMC3181668
- OpenAlex
- W4296336789
- Cited by
- 286
- References
- 104
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Keywords
- major depressive disorder, depression pathophysiology, antidepressant mechanism, monoaminergic systems, monoamine hypothesis, antidepressants, central nervous system regulation
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