Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms in Mood Disorders
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 48
Special Issue Editor
Interests: neurobiology of psychopathology; human social behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Disruptions in brain cell metabolism, microstructure, and neurotransmission are thought to precede the onset of psychiatric disorders. Imbalances in neurotransmitter levels, particularly serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, as well as disturbances in glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission, are commonly associated with mood disorders.
At the cellular level, alterations in neural plasticity, the brain’s neurons’ ability to adapt and reorganize, play a crucial role in mood disorders. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its downstream signaling has been hypothesized to play a crucial role in the molecular changes accompanying these electrophysiological alterations. BDNF downstream signaling, including protein kinase (MAPK), phosphotidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K), and phospholipase C-γ (PLC-γ), leads to the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), serine/threonine kinase AKT and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2). Kinases are a family of proteins catalyzing the phosphorylation reaction on tyrosine and serine/threonine protein residues, functioning as mediators of multiple molecular pathways involved in the regulation of several biological processes disrupted in mood disorders. These processes include cellular homeostasis, molecular trafficking, inter-cellular signaling, synaptogenesis, synaptic functioning, neurogenesis, and neuronal migration, all of which are essential for optimal brain development and neurotransmission.
These processes play an important role in several mood disorders and the action of psychotropic drugs. However, the factors implicated in the activation, as well as the downstream targets of these intracellular messengers, remain to be clearly identified; additional research is warranted and may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Basic research studies in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo, in animals or humans, as well as reviews, minireviews, or opinions discussing the most recent data on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying mood disorders, are welcome.
Dr. Sara Palumbo
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- neurobiology of mood disorders
- intracellular signalling in mood disorders
- neurophysiological alterations in mood disorders
- genetic risk of mood disorders
- pharmacological targets for mood disorders
