Regulation of Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis in Depression
The characterization of depression as a treatable disease has led to very significant research aimed at understanding disease mechanisms and treatments. Antidepressant therapy, employing chemical and non-chemical antidepressants are quite successful in treatment of the disorder although their mechanism of action is not well understood. Basic research with rodent models is providing vital evidence concerning the molecules and mechanisms involved in antidepressant action. The regulation of neurotrophic and growth factors observed after antidepressant administration is seen as playing an important role in modulating the therapeutic effects of antidepressants. Recently, adult neurogenesis or the birth of new neurons has emerged as a physiological phenomenon necessary for the behavioral response of antidepressant treatment. Equally interesting are correlative associations between neurogenesis and angiogenesis or the birth of new vasculature. Growth factors such as brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) play vital roles in both these phenomena making the interplay of neurogenesis and angiogenesis an exciting avenue of brain research. This review will focus on the research that has led us to this current understanding of antidepressant action in context with the pathophysiology of depression using examples from basic, preclinical and clinical investigations.
Keywords: angiogenesis; antidepressant; depression; growth factors; neurogenesis; neurotrophic factors
Document Type: Review Article
Affiliations: 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06508
Publication date: 01 July 2004
- Current Neurovascular Research (CNR) provides a cross platform for the publication of scientifically rigorous research that addresses disease mechanisms of both neuronal and vascular origins in neuroscience. The journal serves as an international forum for the publication of novel and pioneering original work as well as timely neuroscience research reviews in the disciplines of cell developmental disorders, plasticity, and degeneration that bridge the gap between basic science research and clinical discovery. CNR emphasizes the elucidation of disease mechanisms, both cellular and molecular, which can impact the development of unique therapeutic strategies for neuronal and vascular disorders.
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