Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Brain plasticity and antidepressant treatments: New cells, new connections

  • Published:
Neurotoxicity Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is now a decade since we first wrote about the impact of antidepressant agents on plastic processes in the hippocampus (Stewart and Reid, 1993). Since then, the roles of various forms of brain plasticity have moved centre stage in efforts to understand the pathophysiology of depressive disorder. Here, we review the background to current views relating cytoarchitectural and synaptic changes to the aetiology and treatment of affective disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Berman RM, A Cappiello, A Anand, DA Oren, GR Heninger, DS Charney and JH Krystal (2000) Antidepressant effects of keta-mine in depressed patients.Biol. Psychiatry. 47, 351–354.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron HA, P Tanapat and E Gould (1998). Adrenal steroids andN-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation regulate neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult rats through a common pathway.Neuroscience 82, 349–354.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen G, G Rajkowska, F Du, N Seraji-Bozorgzad and HK Manji (2000) Enhancement of hippocampal neurogenesis by lithium.J. Neurochem. 75, 1729–1734.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Czeh B, T Michaelis, T Watanabe, J Frahm, G de Biurrun, M van Kampen, A Bartolomucci and E Fuchs (2001) Stress-induced changes in cerebral metabolites, hippocampal volume, and cell proliferation are prevented by antidepressant treatment with tianeptine.[comment].Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 12796–12801.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Drevets WC, JL Price, JR Simpson,et al. (1997) Subgenual pre-frontal cortex abnormalities in mood disorders.Nature 386, 824–827.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duman RS, GR Heninger and EJ Nestler (1997) A molecular and cellular theory of depression. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry54, 597–606.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eisch AJ and EJ Nestler (2002) To be or not to be: adult neurogen-esis and psychiatry.Clin. Neurosci. Res. 2, 93–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson PS, E Perfilieva and T Bjork-Eriksson (1998) Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus.Nat. Med. 4, 1313–1317.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gould E, BS McEwen, P Tanapat, LAM Galea and E Fuchs (1997) Neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the adult tree shrew is regulated by psychosocial stress and NMDA receptor activation.J. Neurosci. 17, 2492–2498.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gould E, P Tanapat, BS McEwen, G Flugge and E Fuchs (1998) Proliferation of granule cell precursors in the dentate gyrus of adult monkeys is diminished by stress.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 3168–3171.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gould E, A Beylin, P Tanapat, A Reeves and TJ Shors (1999) Learning enhances adult neurogenesis in the hippocampal formation.Nat. Neurosci. 2, 260–265.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gould E, N Vail, M Wagers and CG Gross (2001) Adult-generated hippocampal and neocortical neurons in macaques have a transient existence.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 10910–10917.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hellsten J, M Wennstrom, P Mohapel, CT Ekdahl, J Bengzon and A Tingstrom (2002) Electroconvulsive seizures increase hip-pocampal neurogenesis after chronic corticosterone treatment.Eur. J. Neurosci. 16, 283–290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kempermann G, HG Kuhn and FH Gage (1997a) Genetic influence on neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult mice.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 10409–10414.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kempermann, G, HG Kuhn and FH Gage (1997b) More hip-pocampal neurons in adult mice living in an enriched environment.Nature 386, 493–495.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim JJ and KS Yoon (1998) Stress: metaplastic effects in the hippocampus.Trends Neurosci. 21, 505–509.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kornack DR and P Rakic (2001) Cell proliferation without neuro-genesis in adult primate neocortex. Science294, 2127–2130.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • LeDoux J (1996)The Emotional Brain (Simon and Schuster: New York, NY).

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine E, RA Crozier, IB Black and MR Plummer (1998) Brain-derived neurotrophic factor modulates hippocampal synaptic transmission by increasingN-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor activity.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 10235–10239.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu L, G Bao, H Chen, P Xia, X Fan, J Zhang, G Pei and L Ma (2003) Modification of hippocampal neurogenesis and neuro-plasticity by social environments.Exp. Neurol. 183, 600–609.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen TM, PEG Kristjansen, TG Bolwig and G Wortwein (2003) Arrested neuronal proliferation and impaired hippocampal function following fractionated brain irradiation in the adult rat.Neuroscience 119, 635–642.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maguire EA, DG Gadian, LS Johnsrude, CD Good, J Ashburner, RS Frackowiak and CD Frith (2000) Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 4398–403.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Malberg JE, AJ Eisch, EJ Nestler and RS Duman (2000) Chronic antidepressant treatment increases neurogenesis in adult rat hippocampus.J. Neurosci. 20, 9104–9110.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moore GJ, JM Bebchuk, IB Wilds, G Chen and HK Manji (2000) Lithium-induced increase in human grey matter.Lancet 356, 1241–1242.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morris RG, EI Moser, G Riedel, SJ Martin, J Sandin, M Day and C O’Carroll (2003) Elements of a neurobiological theory of the hippocampus: the role of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in memory.Phil. Transact. R. Soc. London — Series B: Biol. Sci. 358, 773–786.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naylor P, CA Stewart, SR Wright, RCA Pearson and IC Reid (1996) Repeated ECS induces GluR1 mRNA but not NMDAR1A-G mRNA in the rat hippocampus.Mol. Brain Res. 35, 349–353.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nestler EJ, E Gould, H Manji, M Buncan RS Duman, HK Greshenfeld, R Hen, S Koester, I Lederhendler, M Meaney, T Robbins, L Winsky and S Zalcman (2002) Preclinical models: status of basic research in depression.Biol. Psychiatry 52, 503–528.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nibuya M, S Morunobu and RS Duman (1995) Regulation of BDNF and trkB RNA in rat brain by chronic electroconvulsive seizure and antidepressant drug treatments.J. Neurosci. 15, 7539–7547.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nibuya M, EJ Nestler and RJ Duman (1996) Chronic antidepres-sant administration increases the expression of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in rat hippocampus.J. Neurosci. 16, 2365–2372.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Petrie RXA, IC Reid and CA Stewart (2000) TheN-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, synaptic plasticity, and depressive disorder: a critical review.Pharmacol. Ther. 87, 11–25.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reid IC and CA Stewart (1997) Seizures, memory and synaptic plasticity. Seizure6, 351–359.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reid I and C Stewart (2001) How antidepressants work: new perspectives on the pathophysiology of depressive disorder.Br. J. Psychiatry 178, 299–303.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saarlainen T, P Hendolin, G Lucas, E Koponen, M Sairanen, E MacDonald, K Agerman, A Haapasalo, H Nawa, R Aloyz, P Ernfors and E Castren (2003) Activation of the TrkB neu-rotrophin receptor is induced by antidepressant drugs and is required for antidepressant-induced behavioural effects.J. Neurosi. 23, 349–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Santarelli L, M Saxe, C Gross, A Surget, F Battaglia, S Dulawa, N Weisstaub, J Lee, R Duman, O Arancio, C Belzung and R Hen (2003) Requirement of hippocampal neurogenesis for rhe behavioural effects of antidepressants.Science 301, 805–809.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sassi RB, M Nicoletti, P Brambilla, AG Mallinger, F Frank, DJ Kupfer, MS Keshavan and JC Soares (2002) Increased gray matter volume in lithium-treated bipolar disorder patients.Neurosci. Lett. 329, 243–245.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shah PJ, KP Ebmeier, MF Glabus and G Goodwin (1998) Cortical grey matter reductions associated with treatment-resistant chronic unipolar depression: controlled magnetic resonance imaging study.B r. J. Psychiatry 172, 527–532.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shakesby AC, R Anwyl and MJ Rowan (2002) Overcoming the effects of stress on synaptic plasticity in the intact hippocampus: rapid actions of serotonergic and antidepressant agents.J. Neurosci. 22, 3638–3644.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sheline Y, P Wang, M Gado, JG Csernansky and MW Vannier (1996) Hippocampal atrophy in recurrent major depression.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 3908–3913.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu E, K Hashimoto, N Okamura, K Koike, N Komatsu, C Kumakiri, M Nakazato, H Watanabe, N Shinoda, S Okada and M Iyo (2003) Alterations of serum levels of brain-derived neu-rotrophic factor (BDNF) in depressed patients with or without antidepressants.Biol. Psychiatry 54, 70–75.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shors TJ, TB Seib, S Levine and RF Thompson (1989) Inescapable versus escapable shock modulates long-term potentiation in the rat hippocampus.Science 244, 224–226.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shors TJ, G Miesegaes, A Beylinet al. (2001) Neurogenesis in the adult is involved in the formation of trace memories.Nature 410, 372–376.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Siuciak JA, DR Lewis, SJ Wiegand and RM Lindsay (1997) Antidepressant-like effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 56, 131–137.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skolnick P, RT Layer, P Popik, G Nowak, IA Paul and R Trullas (1996) Adaptation ofN-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors following antidepressant treatment: implications for the pharma-cotherapy of depression.Pharmacopsychiatry 29, 23–26.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith MA, S Makino, R Kvetnansky and RM Post (1995) Stress alters the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 mRNAs in the hippocampusJ. Neurosci. 15, 1768–1777.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder JS, N Kee and JM Wojtowicz (2001) Effects of adult neu-rogenesis on synaptic plasticity in the rat dentate gyrus.J. Neurophysiol. 85, 2423–2431.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart C and I Reid (1993) Electroconvulsive stimulation and synaptic plasticity in the rat. Brain Res.620, 139–141.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart CA and IC Reid (1994) Ketamine prevents ECS-induced synaptic enhancement in rat hippocampus.Neurosci. Lett. 178, 11–14.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart CA and IC Reid (2000) Repeated ECS and fluoxetine administration have equivalent effects on hippocampal synaptic plasticity.Psychopharmacology 14, 217–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart C, K Jeffery and I Reid (1994) LTP-like synaptic efficacy changes following electroconvulsive stimulation.NeuroReport 5, 1041–1044.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart CA and SN Davies (1996) Repeated electroconvulsive stimulation impairs synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrusin vivo but has no effect in CA1in vitro.Neurosci. Lett. 213, 177–180.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tanapat P, NB Hastings, TA Rydel, LA Galea and E Gould (2001) Exposure to fox odor inhibits cell proliferation in the hippocampus of adult rats via an adrenal hormone-dependent mechanism.J. Comp. Neurol. 437, 496–504.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Praag H, AF Schinder, BR Christie, N Toni, TD Palmer and FH Gage (2002) Functional neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus.Nature 415, 1030–1034.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vermetten E, M Vythilingam, SM Southwick, DS Chareny and JD Bremner (2003) Long-term treatment with paroxetine increases verbal declarative memory and hippocampal volume in posttrau-matic stress disorder.Biol. Psychiatry 54, 693–702.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao M, S Momma, K Delfani, M Carlen, RM Cassidy, CB Johansson, H Brismar, O Shupliakov, J Frisen and AM Janson (2003) Evidence for neurogenesis in the adult mammalian sub-stantia nigra.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 7925–7930.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, Aberdeen, Foresterhill, UK

    Ian C. Reid

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital, DD1 9SY, Dundee, UK

    Caroline A. Stewart

Authors
  1. Ian C. Reid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Caroline A. Stewart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Reid, I.C., Stewart, C.A. Brain plasticity and antidepressant treatments: New cells, new connections. neurotox res 6, 483–489 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03033285

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03033285

Keywords

Search

Navigation