PMID- 10101965 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 19990504 LR - 20220408 IS - 0165-6147 (Print) IS - 0165-6147 (Linking) VI - 20 IP - 2 DP - 1999 Feb TI - Neurotrophins and depression. PG - 59-61 AB - Exogenous delivery of the neurotrophic factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), promotes the function, sprouting and regrowth of 5-HT-containing neurones in the brains of adult rats. Similar infusions of BDNF into the dorsal raphe nucleus produce an antidepressant effect, as evaluated by several 'learned helplessness' paradigms. Environmental stressors such as immobilization induce depression and decrease BDNF mRNA. Antidepressants increase BDNF mRNA in the brain, via 5-HT2A and beta-adrenoceptor subtypes and prevent the stress-induced decreases in BDNF mRNA. In this article, Tony Altar discusses how existing treatments of depression might work by increasing endogenous brain levels of BDNF or NT-3, which in turn could promote monoamine-containing neurone growth and function. Drugs that selectively stimulate the production of neurotrophins could represent a new generation of antidepressants. FAU - Altar, C A AU - Altar CA AD - Mayland Research Laboratories, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Rockville 20850, USA. LA - eng PT - Journal Article PT - Review PL - England TA - Trends Pharmacol Sci JT - Trends in pharmacological sciences JID - 7906158 RN - 0 (Antidepressive Agents) RN - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) RN - 0 (Nerve Growth Factors) RN - 0 (Neurotrophin 3) RN - 0 (RNA, Messenger) RN - 333DO1RDJY (Serotonin) SB - IM MH - Animals MH - Antidepressive Agents/pharmacology/therapeutic use MH - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*metabolism MH - Depressive Disorder/drug therapy/*metabolism/therapy MH - Electroconvulsive Therapy MH - Helplessness, Learned MH - Humans MH - Nerve Growth Factors/*metabolism MH - Neurons/metabolism MH - Neurotrophin 3 MH - RNA, Messenger/metabolism MH - Serotonin/metabolism MH - Stress, Physiological/metabolism RF - 30 EDAT- 1999/04/02 00:00 MHDA- 1999/04/02 00:01 CRDT- 1999/04/02 00:00 PHST- 1999/04/02 00:00 [pubmed] PHST- 1999/04/02 00:01 [medline] PHST- 1999/04/02 00:00 [entrez] AID - S0165-6147(99)01309-7 [pii] AID - 10.1016/s0165-6147(99)01309-7 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Trends Pharmacol Sci. 1999 Feb;20(2):59-61. doi: 10.1016/s0165-6147(99)01309-7.