The brain decade in debate: V-neurobiology of depression

Abstract

This paper is a transcription of a virtual symposium on the neurobiology of depression, which was organized by the Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC). There is a consensus that the monoaminergic theory is still valid, but its initial formulation suffered several modifications to explain more recent findings. Moreover, it is naive to suppose that depression has only one substratum and probably various neurotransmitter systems should be involved. Although nowadays the focus is mainly put on the serotonin (5-HT) system, there are several evidences suggesting an important role for other systems. It is expected that neuroimaging research with more specific tracers will give important information on this subject. the hormonal modulation is another important aspect of this picture, particularly in relation to the gender differences observed in depression. the neurobiological relationship between mania and depression states is also discussed. the intracellular transduction mechanisms are a growing field in depression research, representing the central focus of the molecular theory of depression, and it is indicated as the most fruitful theory to the development of really new drugs to treat depression. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.