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Molecular Abnormalities in Brains of Depressed Patients

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster Mood Disorders Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

L. Trevor Young

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster Mood Disorders Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, youngt{at}mcmaster.ca

Studies on the molecular pharmacology of antidepressants have lead to a reinterpretation of earlier models of the neuropathology of depression. Noradrenergic and serotonergic hypotheses of depression have been expanded to include postsynaptic intracellular signal transduction pathways and regulation of gene expression. Because much of this evidence was obtained from postmortem brain, there has been increased interest in the use of this tissue to study depression. In the following pages, we will review the postmortem brain studies in depressed individuals focusing on neurotransmitter systems, signal transduction, and structural abnormalities.

Key Words: Depression • Postmortem brain • Suicide • Signal transduction

The Neuroscientist, Vol. 6, No. 5, 401-410 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/107385840000600514


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