BDNF as a Mediator of Antidepressant Response: Recent Advances and Lifestyle Interactions
Susana Cubillos, Olivia Engmann, Anna Brancato
Abstract
Conventional antidepressants are widely employed in several psychiatric and neurologic disorders, yet the mechanisms underlying their delayed and partial therapeutic effects are only gradually being understood. This narrative review provides an up-to-date overview of the interplay between antidepressant treatment and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) signaling. In addition, the impact of nutritional, environmental and physiological factors on BDNF and the antidepressant response is outlined. This review underlines the necessity to include information on lifestyle choices in testing and developing antidepressant treatments in the future.
Topics & Concepts
AntidepressantNeurotrophic factorsBrain-derived neurotrophic factorNeuroscienceNarrative reviewMediatorPsychologyMedicineAntidepressant medicationPsychiatryBioinformaticsPsychotherapistBiologyInternal medicineHippocampusReceptorNerve injury and regenerationTryptophan and brain disordersStress Responses and Cortisol