Neurobiology of depression in relation to pharmacological-biochemical properties of antidepressants

Summary

Recent studies indicate that it is possible not only to differentiate endogenous depressed patients from normal controls but also from those with neurotic or reactive depression by different neuroendocrinological methods. Some of the more important findings are reviewed and the possible neurobiological mechanisms which may be involved are discussed, as are the ways in which such mechanisms may be modified or blocked by the pharmacological and biochemical properties of different antidepressant drugs. It is hoped that a better understanding of possible metabolic defects in depressive illness and of the way in which antidepressant drugs act will lead to a faster and more goal-directed therapy of depressed patients in the future.

Key Words::

• Depression
• neurophysiology
• psychophysiology
• antidepressive agents