The Role of Neural Plasticity in Depression: From Hippocampus to Prefrontal Cortex

• Published in: Journal of neural transplantation & plasticity Vol. 2017; no. 2017; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Cui, R., Fan, Jie, Pan, Zhenxiang, Leng, Yashu, Ge, Tongtong, Liu, Wei, Yang, Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2017; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Adults; Amygdala - drug effects; Amygdala - physiopathology; Animal cognition; Animals; Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use; Apoptosis - drug effects; Brain - drug effects; Brain - physiopathology; Brain research; Cognitive ability; Depression - drug therapy; Depression - physiopathology; Depression, Mental; Depressive Disorder, Major - drug therapy; Depressive Disorder, Major - physiopathology; Development and progression; Health aspects; Hippocampus (Brain); Hippocampus - drug effects; Hippocampus - physiopathology; Humans; Hypotheses; Mental depression; Neural networks; Neurogenesis; Neurogenesis - drug effects; Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects; Neuroplasticity; Physiological aspects; Prefrontal cortex; Prefrontal Cortex - drug effects; Prefrontal Cortex - physiopathology; Review
• ISSN: 2090-5904; 0792-8483; 1687-5443; 1687-5443
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/6871089

Neural plasticity, a fundamental mechanism of neuronal adaptation, is disrupted in depression. The changes in neural plasticity induced by stress and other negative stimuli play a significant role in the onset and development of depression. Antidepressant treatments have also been found to exert their antidepressant effects through regulatory effects on neural plasticity. However, the detailed mechanisms of neural plasticity in depression still remain unclear. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the recent literature to elaborate the possible mechanistic role of neural plasticity in depression. Taken together, these findings may pave the way for future progress in neural plasticity studies.