Introduction/Aim. Depression is a mood disorder that prevents the patients from performing everyday activities, due to the constant presence of negative feelings. Depression is a worldwide medical disorder which is highly prevalent and has therefore become a huge financial burden for the health system. Biological, psychological, and social factors are most commonly described in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders, although the mechanisms behind depression are still not fully understood. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the nervous system to reorganize its structure and function in response to different stimuli. The aim of this paper was to summarize the available literature on neuroplasticity and its role in the pathophysiology and treatment of depressive disorders. Literature review. Depression is often accompanied by chronic illnesses and is more prevalent in women than men. The most commonly used treatment options for depressive disorders are antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychosocial therapy. Neuroplasticity has led to the development of a new clinical discipline called neurorehabilitation, and recent studies have shown a possible link between neuroplasticity and depression. It has been observed that different mechanisms behind neuroplasticity affect the structure of the limbic and paralimbic structures, especially the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. Conclusion. Limbic and paralimbic structures also undergo structural changes in depressed patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy and medications, which could lead to a better understanding of depressive disorders and how they should be treated.
References
1.
Normann C, Frase S, Haug V, von Wolff G, Clark K, Münzer P, et al. Antidepressants Rescue Stress-Induced Disruption of Synaptic Plasticity via Serotonin Transporter–Independent Inhibition of L-Type Calcium Channels. Biological Psychiatry. 2018;84(1):55–64.
2.
Sheline YI. Depression and the Hippocampus: Cause or Effect? Biological Psychiatry. 2011;70(4):308–9.
3.
Miller BR, Hen R. The current state of the neurogenic theory of depression and anxiety. Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 2015;30:51–8.
4.
Toni N, Schinder AF. Maturation and Functional Integration of New Granule Cells into the Adult Hippocampus. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 2016;8(1):a018903.
5.
Wang Z, Neylan TC, Mueller SG, Lenoci M, Truran D, Marmar CR, et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Hippocampal Subfields in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2010;67(3):296.
6.
Marrus N, Belden A, Nishino T, Handler T, Ratnanather JT, Miller M, et al. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex thinning in preschool-onset depression. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2015;180:79–86.
7.
Öngür D, Drevets WC, Price JL. Glial reduction in the subgenual prefrontal cortex in mood disorders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 1998;95(22):13290–5.
8.
Kuhn M, Höger N, Feige B, Blechert J, Normann C, Nissen C. Fear Extinction as a Model for Synaptic Plasticity in Major Depressive Disorder. PLoS ONE. 9(12):e115280.
9.
Vyas A, Mitra R, Shankaranarayana Rao BS, Chattarji S. Chronic Stress Induces Contrasting Patterns of Dendritic Remodeling in Hippocampal and Amygdaloid Neurons. The Journal of Neuroscience. 2002;22(15):6810–8.
10.
Romanczuk-Seiferth N, Pöhland L, Mohnke S, Garbusow M, Erk S, Haddad L, et al. Larger amygdala volume in first-degree relatives of patients with major depression. NeuroImage: Clinical. 2014;5:62–8.
11.
Qiu A, Anh TT, Li Y, Chen H, Rifkin-Graboi A, Broekman BFP, et al. Prenatal maternal depression alters amygdala functional connectivity in 6-month-old infants. Translational Psychiatry. 5(2):e508–e508.
12.
Levy MJF, Boulle F, Steinbusch HW, van den Hove DLA, Kenis G, Lanfumey L. Neurotrophic factors and neuroplasticity pathways in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression. Psychopharmacology. 2018;235(8):2195–220.
13.
Li M, Yao X, Sun L, Zhao L, Xu W, Zhao H, et al. Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Depression and Its Potential Mechanism. Frontiers in Psychology. 11.
14.
Joshi SH, Espinoza RT, Pirnia T, Shi J, Wang Y, Ayers B, et al. Structural Plasticity of the Hippocampus and Amygdala Induced by Electroconvulsive Therapy in Major Depression. Biological Psychiatry. 2016;79(4):282–92.
15.
Pirnia T, Joshi SH, Leaver AM, Vasavada M, Njau S, Woods RP, et al. Electroconvulsive therapy and structural neuroplasticity in neocortical, limbic and paralimbic cortex. Translational Psychiatry. 6(6):e832–e832.
16.
Liu W, Ge T, Leng Y, Pan Z, Fan J, Yang W, et al. The Role of Neural Plasticity in Depression: From Hippocampus to Prefrontal Cortex. Neural Plasticity. 2017;2017:1–11.
17.
Zung S, Souza-Duran FL, Soeiro-de-Souza MG, Uchida R, Bottino CM, Busatto GF, et al. The influence of lithium on hippocampal volume in elderly bipolar patients: a study using voxel-based morphometry. Translational Psychiatry. 6(6):e846–e846.
18.
Boldrini M, Underwood MD, Hen R, Rosoklija GB, Dwork AJ, John Mann J, et al. Antidepressants increase neural progenitor cells in the human hippocampus. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2009;34(11):2376–89.
19.
Boldrini M, Santiago AN, Hen R, Dwork AJ, Rosoklija GB, Tamir H, et al. Hippocampal Granule Neuron Number and Dentate Gyrus Volume in Antidepressant-Treated and Untreated Major Depression. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013;38(6):1068–77.
20.
Encinas JM, Vaahtokari A, Enikolopov G. Fluoxetine targets early progenitor cells in the adult brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2006;103(21):8233–8.
21.
Klempin F, Beis D, Mosienko V, Kempermann G, Bader M, Alenina N. Serotonin Is Required for Exercise-Induced Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis. The Journal of Neuroscience. 2013;33(19):8270–5.
22.
Tartt AN, Mariani MB, Hen R, Mann JJ, Boldrini M. Dysregulation of adult hippocampal neuroplasticity in major depression: pathogenesis and therapeutic implications. Molecular Psychiatry. 2022;27(6):2689–99.
23.
Wang JW, David DJ, Monckton JE, Battaglia F, Hen R. Chronic Fluoxetine Stimulates Maturation and Synaptic Plasticity of Adult-Born Hippocampal Granule Cells. The Journal of Neuroscience. 2008;28(6):1374–84.
24.
Pechnick RN, Zonis S, Wawrowsky K, Pourmorady J, Chesnokova V. p21 Cip1 restricts neuronal proliferation in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2008;105(4):1358–63.
25.
Fernandes BS, Berk M, Turck CW, Steiner J, Gonçalves CA. Decreased peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are a biomarker of disease activity in major psychiatric disorders: a comparative meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry. 2014;19(7):750–1.
26.
Zou Y, Zhang Y, Tu M, Ye Y, Li M, Ran R, et al. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels across psychiatric disorders: A systemic review and network meta-analysis. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 2024;131:110954.
27.
Björkholm C, Monteggia LM. BDNF – a key transducer of antidepressant effects. Neuropharmacology. 2016;102:72–9.
28.
Li C, Chen M, Lin W, Hong C, Yang B, Liu R, et al. The effects of low‐dose ketamine on the prefrontal cortex and amygdala in treatment‐resistant depression: A randomized controlled study. Human Brain Mapping. 2016;37(3):1080–90.
Wu Z, Fang Y. Comorbidity of depressive and anxiety disorders: challenges in diagnosis and assessment. Shanghai Arch Psychiatry. 2014;26(4):227–31.
31.
Christensen MC, Wong CMJ, Baune BT. Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder and Their Impact on Psychosocial Functioning in the Different Phases of the Disease: Do the Perspectives of Patients and Healthcare Providers Differ? Frontiers in Psychiatry. 11.
32.
Ménard C, Hodes GE, Russo SJ. Pathogenesis of depression: Insights from human and rodent studies. Neuroscience. 2016;321:138–62.
33.
Briley M, Chantal M. The importance of norepinephrine in depression. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. :9.
34.
Penner-Goeke S, Binder EB. Epigenetics and depression. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 2019;21(4):397–405.
35.
Konstantinović I. Funkcionalna anatomija moždane kore (graduation thesis. 2022;
36.
Demarin V, Morovic S, Béné R. Neuroplasticity. Periodicum Biologorum. 2014;116:209–11.
37.
Gulyaeva NV. Molecular mechanisms of neuroplasticity: An expanding universe. Biochemistry (Moscow). 2017;82(3):237–42.
38.
Trifu SC, Trifu AC, Aluaş E, Tătaru MA, Costea RV. Brain changes in depression. Romanian Journal of Morphology and Embryology. 2020;61(2):361–70.
39.
Gelder GM, Andreasen CN, Lopez-Ibor JJ, Geddes RJ. New Oxford Text book of Psychiatry. 2009.
40.
Abdul Razzak H, Harbi A, Ahli S. Depression: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors in the United Arab Emirates. Oman Medical Journal. 2019;34(4):274–82.
41.
Wang J, Wu X, Lai W, Long E, Zhang X, Li W, et al. Prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms among outpatients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2017;7(8):e017173.
42.
Zhao L, Han G, Zhao Y, Jin Y, Ge T, Yang W, et al. Gender Differences in Depression: Evidence From Genetics. Frontiers in Genetics. 11.
43.
Alsaadi T, El Hammasi K, Shahrour TM, Shakra M, Turkawi L, Nasreddine W, et al. Depression and Anxiety among Patients with Epilepsy and Multiple Sclerosis: UAE Comparative Study. Behavioural Neurology. 2015;2015:1–4.
44.
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 2000;
45.
MacMaster FP, Kusumakar V. Hippocampal volume in early onset depression. BMC Medicine. 2(1).
46.
Sheline YI, Wang PW, Gado MH, Csernansky JG, Vannier MW. Hippocampal atrophy in recurrent major depression. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 1996;93(9):3908–13.
47.
Sheline YI, Sanghavi M, Mintun MA, Gado MH. Depression Duration But Not Age Predicts Hippocampal Volume Loss in Medically Healthy Women with Recurrent Major Depression. The Journal of Neuroscience. 1999;19(12):5034–43.
48.
HASLER G. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DEPRESSION: DO WE HAVE ANY SOLID EVIDENCE OF INTEREST TO CLINICIANS? World Psychiatry. 2010;9(3):155–61.
49.
Dantzer R, O’Connor JC, Freund GG, Johnson RW, Kelley KW. From inflammation to sickness and depression: when the immune system subjugates the brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2008;9(1):46–56.
50.
Raison CL, Capuron L, Miller AH. Cytokines sing the blues: inflammation and the pathogenesis of depression. Trends in Immunology. 2006;27(1):24–31.
51.
Grover S, Gautam S, Jain A, Gautam M, Vahia V. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of Depression. Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 2017;59(5):34.
52.
Ontario HQ. Psychotherapy for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Health Technology Assessment. Ont Health Technol Assess Ser. 2017;17(15):1–167.
53.
Trifu S, Sevcenco A, Stănescu M, Drăgoi A, Cristea M. Efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy as a potential first‑choice treatment in treatment‑resistant depression (Review). Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 22(5).
54.
Torres IJ, Ge R, McGirr A, Vila-Rodriguez F, Ahn S, Basivireddy J, et al. Effects of intermittent theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation on cognition and hippocampal volumes in bipolar depression. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 2023;25(1):24–32.
55.
Rush AJ, Sackeim HA, Conway CR, Bunker MT, Hollon SD, Demyttenaere K, et al. Clinical research challenges posed by difficult-to-treat depression. Psychological Medicine. 2022;52(3):419–32.
56.
Voss P, Thomas ME, Cisneros-Franco JM, de Villers-Sidani É. Dynamic Brains and the Changing Rules of Neuroplasticity: Implications for Learning and Recovery. Frontiers in Psychology. 8.
57.
Rygvold TW, Hatlestad-Hall C, Elvsåshagen T, Moberget T, Andersson S. Long term potentiation-like neural plasticity and performance-based memory function. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. 2022;196:107696.
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
