Transcription and Neurotrophic Factors in Affective Disorders: New Trends in Understanding the Action of Antidepressant Drugs

Apart from the well-known serotoninergic and noradrenergic receptors located at the plasma membrane, the pharmacological response to antidepressant drugs also includes the long term recruitment of nuclear transcription factors, such as CREB (AMPc response element binding protein), and neurotrophic factors such as BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) that are also known to exhibit neuroprotective activities and participate in neuronal plasticity. The present review presents the most recent data on this topic, shedding new light on trends in the understanding of the neurobiology of affective disorders.