NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY OF DEPRESSION

Abstract

Major depressive disorder affects 350 million people worldwide, and there is a need for more knowledge regarding its etiology and treatment. Neuroendocrinology plays a large role in the pathology of depression. Depression can arise from hyperactivity of the hypothalamicpituitary- adrenal axis as well as from abnormality in the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, and these two types of depression require different treatments. One of their common symptoms is a decrease in levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the blood. Understanding the ways that abnormal endocrine activity leads to depression and what traits are shared or are different between people who suffer from different endocrine abnormalities can benefit depression’s diagnosis and treatment. Future research on the effects of endocrine hormones on the central nervous system will help shed further light on depression pathology.