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Model of the neurotrophic hypothesis of antidepressant treatments and stress-related disorders. The major cell types in the hippocampus and the effects
of stress and antidepressant treatments on CA3 pyramidal cells are shown. The three major subfields of the hippocampus—CA3 and CA1 pyramidal cells
and dentate gyrus granule cells—are connected by the mossy fiber (mf) and Schaffer collateral (SC) pathways. Chronic stress decreases the expression
of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus, which in turn may contribute to the atrophy of CA3 neurons and their increased
vulnerability to a variety of neuronal insults. Chronic elevation of glucocorticoid levels is also known to decrease the survival of these neurons. In contrast,
antidepressant treatments increase the expression of BDNF, as well as that of the BDNF receptor, TrkB, and prevent the downregulation of BDNF elicited
Source: Mood and Emotion, Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, 3e
by stress. Such activity may increase the dendritic arborizations and survival of the neurons, or help repair or protect the neurons from further damage.
Citation: Nestler EJ, Hyman SE, Holtzman DM, Malenka RC. Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, 3e; 2015
Available at: http://mhmedical.com/ Accessed: May 04, 2017
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