ABSTRACT
Introduction: Depression is a highly debilitating psychiatric disorder that affects the global population and causes severe disabilities and suicide. Depression pathogenesis remains poorly understood, and the disorder is often treatment-resistant and recurrent, necessitating the development of novel therapies, models and concepts in this field.
Areas covered: Animal models are indispensable for translational biological psychiatry, and markedly advance the study of depression. Novel approaches continuously emerge that may help untangle the disorder heterogeneity and unclear categories of disease classification systems. Some of these approaches include widening the spectrum of model species used for translational research, using a broader range of test paradigms, exploring new pathogenic pathways and biomarkers, and focusing more closely on processes beyond neural cells (e.g. glial, inflammatory and metabolic deficits).
Expert opinion: Dividing the core symptoms into easily translatable, evolutionarily conserved phenotypes is an effective way to reevaluate current depression modeling. Conceptually novel approaches based on the endophenotype paradigm, cross-species trait genetics and ‘domain interplay concept’, as well as using a wider spectrum of model organisms and target systems will enhance experimental modeling of depression and antidepressant drug discovery.
Article highlights
Depression is a highly debilitating condition that remains poorly understood
Development of new therapeutic methods and antidepressants is urgently needed in the field.
Animal models represent a valuable tool to study depression-associated conditions
Multiple new approaches to study depression are continuously emerging
Complex endophenotype-driven approaches will enhance drug screening and basic research of major depression
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Declaration of interest
AV Kalueff is the current President of the International Stress and Behavior Society (ISBS, www.stress-and-behavior.com), chairing the ISBS Special Panel on experimental and translational depression models (2018) that coordinated this multi-laboratory collaborative study. The Panel also comprised of ISBS Fellows Professors M Koshiba (Japan), C Song (China), T Strekalova (Netherlands) and members Professors MS de Abreu (Brazil), B Leonard (Ireland), MO Parker (UK), BH Harvey (South Africa), L Tian, E Vasar (Estonia) and TG Amstislavskaya (Russia). The authors have no other roles or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in, or financial conflict with, the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
Reviewer disclosures
Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.