Current Neuropharmacology - Volume 16, Issue 3, 2018

Background: Stress is a common reaction to an environmental adversity, but a dysregulation of the stress response can lead to psychiatric illnesses such as major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders. Yet, not all individuals exposed to stress will develop psychiatric disorders; those with enhanced stress resilience mechanisms have the ability to adapt successfully to stress without Read More

Background: Chronic stress affects health and the quality of life, with its effects being particularly relevant in ageing due to the psychobiological characteristics of this population. However, while some people develop psychiatric disorders, especially depression, others seem very capable of dealing with adversity. There is no doubt that along with the identification of neurobiological mechanisms involved in developing depressi Read More

Background: Resilience is the ability to achieve a positive outcome when we are in the face of adversity. It supposes an active resistance to adversity by coping mechanisms in which genetic, molecular, neural and environmental factors are involved. Resilience has been usually studied in early ages and few is known about it during aging. Methods: In this review, we will address the age-related changes in the brain mechani Read More

Background: Many studies have been shown an important role of glutamatergic system as well microglial activation in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). In humans most resistant to the development of psychiatric disorders, including MDD, are observed a greater degree of resilience resulting from stress. Less resilience is associated with neuroendocrine and neuroinflammatory markers, as well as with gluta Read More

Background: In adulthood, depression is the most common type of mental illness and will be the second leading cause of disease by 2020. Major depression dramatically affects the function of the central nervous system and degrades the quality of life, especially in old age. Several mechanisms underlie the pathophysiology of depressive illness, since it has a multifactorial etiology. Human and animal studies have de Read More

Gene-environment interactions (GxE) can have lasting consequences on brain structure and function, potentially contributing to diverse neuropsychiatric phenotypes. This has been extensively demonstrated by studies examining GxE in childhood and early adulthood, whereas much fewer studies have addressed this question in late life. The relative paucity of studies examining GxE in late life may stem from the worki Read More