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Stress and Depression: Preclinical Research and Clinical Implications

2009; Public Library of Science; Volume: 4; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1371/journal.pone.0004265

1932-6203

Alessandro Bartolomucci, Rosario Leopardi,

Treatment of Major Depression

Major depression (MD) is a severe, lifethreatening, and highly prevalent psychiatric disorder, predicted to soon become one of the major causes of death worldwide.Despite extensive investigations, the exact mechanisms responsible for MD have not been identified.This Overview focuses on the role of stress in depression.It discusses current advancements in biological psychiatry, neuroscience, and neuroendocrinology, highlighting key findings presented in the research papers included in the Special Collection ''Stress-Induced Depression and Comorbidities: From Bench to Bedside,'' published in this issue of PLoS ONE.The Overview encompasses the problematic diagnosis of MD, as well as preclinical evidences linking genetic predisposition, early life events and social factors, imbalanced HPA axis, molecular pathways within the central nervous system, and metabolic comorbidities with depressionlike disorders.It is emphasized how the link between stress and depression can be deeper than previously recognized, following the description of a potentially common depression subtype, named tentatively ''stress-induced depression'' (STRID).Due to the inherent biological perspective underlying the STRID concept, both preclinical and clinical research will be pivotal in clarifying the validity of this new subtype of MD and in improving predictors for treatment response, and will provide a better basis for genetic studies as well as stimulating new drug discovery programs.