Molecular Insights into Depression

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Biology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 2415

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 82445, Taiwan
Interests: neuropsychiatric disorders; neuropharmacology; neural circuits
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Guest Editor
School of Medicine, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Interests: neurodegenerative diseases; Parkinson's disease; Alzheimer's disease; polycystic ovary syndrome; stroke

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Interests: preclinical neuropsychiatric disorders; substance abuse; cognitive impairment; pharmacology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), are the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting an estimated 120 million people around the world. Environmental risk factors such as stress play an important role in the etiology of MDD. Moreover, the high degree of susceptibility suggests a significant contribution to the dysregulation of brain function. The major challenges in managing people with depression are due to the complexity and heterogeneity of this disorder, the poor response of some sufferers to available treatments, and a lack of objective biomarkers. Therefore, a better understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of depression is of major importance.

This Special Issue will collate studies of depression-related research focusing on several aspects, including, but not limited to, depression, stress, neural circuits, animal models, therapeutic strategies, biomarkers of depression, behavioral despair, anhedonia, and antidepressants, as well as psychiatric disorders. Both original research and review articles are welcome. We warmly encourage you to propose novel functional studies elucidating the molecular mechanisms and pharmacotherapeutic strategies that could help to untangle the complex etiology of psychiatric disorders. These missing pieces represent an obstacle to the advancement of precision medicine in psychiatry.

Dr. Yu-Cheng Ho
Dr. Cheng-Chun Wu
Dr. Ming Tatt Lee
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • psychiatric disorders
  • depression
  • stress
  • neural circuits
  • animal models
  • therapeutic strategy
  • biomarkers of depression
  • behavioral despair
  • anhedonia
  • antidepressant

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

20 pages, 1731 KiB  
Review
Menopause-Associated Depression: Impact of Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation on the Central Nervous System—A Review
by Gengfan Liang, Audrey Siew Foong Kow, Rohana Yusof, Chau Ling Tham, Yu-Cheng Ho and Ming Tatt Lee
Biomedicines 2024, 12(1), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12010184 - 15 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1829
Abstract
Perimenopausal depression, occurring shortly before or after menopause, is characterized by symptoms such as emotional depression, anxiety, and stress, often accompanied by endocrine dysfunction, particularly hypogonadism and senescence. Current treatments for perimenopausal depression primarily provide symptomatic relief but often come with undesirable side [...] Read more.
Perimenopausal depression, occurring shortly before or after menopause, is characterized by symptoms such as emotional depression, anxiety, and stress, often accompanied by endocrine dysfunction, particularly hypogonadism and senescence. Current treatments for perimenopausal depression primarily provide symptomatic relief but often come with undesirable side effects. The development of agents targeting the specific pathologies of perimenopausal depression has been relatively slow. The erratic fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels during the perimenopausal stage expose women to the risk of developing perimenopausal-associated depression. These hormonal changes trigger the production of proinflammatory mediators and induce oxidative stress, leading to progressive neuronal damage. This review serves as a comprehensive overview of the underlying mechanisms contributing to perimenopausal depression. It aims to shed light on the complex relationship between perimenopausal hormones, neurotransmitters, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and perimenopausal depression. By summarizing the intricate interplay between hormonal fluctuations, neurotransmitter activity, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and perimenopausal depression, this review aims to stimulate further research in this field. The hope is that an increased understanding of these mechanisms will pave the way for the development of more effective therapeutic targets, ultimately reducing the risk of depression during the menopausal stage for the betterment of psychological wellbeing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insights into Depression)
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