Abstract
Depression is one of the most debilitating disorders of our times. Antidepressant medication, one of the most common (and often first-line) treatments to date, aim to alleviate symptoms, but finding which type of drug benefits which patient remains a daunting task. The underlying mechanism that translates neurochemical effects to symptom improvement is still far from precise. In this review we summarized the evidence on the effects of antidepressants on brain systems and cognitive functioning, and examined the possible value of these correlates as predictors of response. Studies using acute (or sub-chronic) antidepressant administrations in healthy subjects showed effects on affective cognition. In depressed patients, neuroimaging studies examining the effects of antidepressants in pre-post designs have shown changes in the activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and the limbic system after treatment. Increasing evidence shows that baseline anterior cingulate cortex activation could be a possibly critical biomarker of treatment response. The few studies performed to date also indicate potentially different pathways for antidepressants targeting the serotonergic neurotransmitter system versus those targeting the noradrenergic one, but findings are not always consistent. More studies are necessary to establish whether early cognitive effects of drugs are predictive of long-term efficacy in depressed patients. Considering the heterogeneity of depression and in order to approach a more personalized treatment, future studies should also elucidate the effects of antidepressants on different cognitive systems and subsequently on different symptom profiles.
Keywords: Antidepressant response, behavior, cognition, depression, neuroimaging, neuropsychology.
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets
Title:The Neuropsychological Hypothesis of Antidepressant Drug Action Revisited
Volume: 13 Issue: 10
Author(s): Niki Antypa, Raffaella Calati and Alessandro Serretti
Affiliation:
Keywords: Antidepressant response, behavior, cognition, depression, neuroimaging, neuropsychology.
Abstract: Depression is one of the most debilitating disorders of our times. Antidepressant medication, one of the most common (and often first-line) treatments to date, aim to alleviate symptoms, but finding which type of drug benefits which patient remains a daunting task. The underlying mechanism that translates neurochemical effects to symptom improvement is still far from precise. In this review we summarized the evidence on the effects of antidepressants on brain systems and cognitive functioning, and examined the possible value of these correlates as predictors of response. Studies using acute (or sub-chronic) antidepressant administrations in healthy subjects showed effects on affective cognition. In depressed patients, neuroimaging studies examining the effects of antidepressants in pre-post designs have shown changes in the activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and the limbic system after treatment. Increasing evidence shows that baseline anterior cingulate cortex activation could be a possibly critical biomarker of treatment response. The few studies performed to date also indicate potentially different pathways for antidepressants targeting the serotonergic neurotransmitter system versus those targeting the noradrenergic one, but findings are not always consistent. More studies are necessary to establish whether early cognitive effects of drugs are predictive of long-term efficacy in depressed patients. Considering the heterogeneity of depression and in order to approach a more personalized treatment, future studies should also elucidate the effects of antidepressants on different cognitive systems and subsequently on different symptom profiles.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Antypa Niki, Calati Raffaella and Serretti Alessandro, The Neuropsychological Hypothesis of Antidepressant Drug Action Revisited, CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets 2014; 13 (10) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871527313666141130224004
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871527313666141130224004 |
Print ISSN 1871-5273 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1996-3181 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system infectious diseases
Infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) can be divided into bacterial, tuberculous, viral, fungal, parasitic infections, etc. Early etiological treatment is often the most crucial means to reduce the mortality rate of patients with central nervous system infections, reduce complications and sequelae, and improve prognosis. The initial clinical ...read more
Techniques of Drug Repurposing: Delivering a new life to Herbs & Drugs
Of late, with the adaptation of innovative approaches and integration of advancements made towards medical sciences as well as the availability of a wide range of tools; several therapeutic challenges are being translated into viable clinical solutions, with a high degree of efficacy, safety, and selectivity. With a better understanding ...read more
Trends and perspectives in the rational management of CNS disorders
Central nervous system (CNS) diseases enforce a significant global health burden, driving ongoing efforts to improve our understanding and effectiveness of therapy. This issue investigates current advances in the discipline, focusing on the understanding as well as therapeutic handling of various CNS diseases. The issue covers a variety of diseases, ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Prenatal Stress and Maternal Immune Dysregulation in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Potential Points for Intervention
Current Pharmaceutical Design Functional Annotation of Genes Overlapping Copy Number Variants in Autistic Patients: Focus on Axon Pathfinding
Current Genomics Roles of p75NTR in Maintaining Brain Hemostasis and the Implications for p75NTR-targeted Therapies
Current Alzheimer Research Nafion-H<sup>®</sup>: A Versatile Catalyst for Organic Synthesis
Current Organic Chemistry Pharmacological Aspects of Neuro-Immune Interactions
Current Pharmaceutical Design Effects of Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside on Liver P450 Enzym e Expressions in Lipopolysaccharide-induced Dopamine Neuronal Dama ge Rats
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Tacrine-Natural-Product Hybrids for Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Effect of Glucose-Insulin-Potassium (GIK) Infusion on Cardiovascular Function and Inflammation: Results from a Phase 1 Pilot Interventional Trial
Applied Clinical Research, Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs Seeing the Person in the Patient: Making the Case for Individualized PROMs in Mental Health Care
Current Psychiatry Reviews Inhibitors of 11β-Hydroxylase (CYP11B1) for Treating Diseases Related to Excess Cortisol
Current Medicinal Chemistry Novel Hypotensive Agents from Verbesina Caracasana: Structure, Synthesis and Pharmacology
Current Medicinal Chemistry Strategies for Enhancing Progenitor Cell Mobilization and Function in Diabetes
Current Vascular Pharmacology Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia
Current Molecular Medicine Computational Drug Repositioning: A Lateral Approach to Traditional Drug Discovery?
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry RNAi of cat-2, a Putative Tyrosine Hydroxylase, Increases Alpha Synuclein Aggregation and Associated Effects in Transgenic C. elegans
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Recent Advances in Computational Studies on Influenza A Virus M2 Proton Channel
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Advances in Targeting Insulin-like Growth Factor Signaling Pathway in Cancer Treatment
Current Pharmaceutical Design Psychosocial Predictors of Relapse Among Patients with Alcohol Problems
Current Drug Abuse Reviews Subject Index To Volume 2
Current Drug Targets Recent Developments in the Regulation of Monoamine Oxidase Form and Function: Is the Current Model Restricting Our Understanding of the Breadth of Contribution of Monoamine Oxidase to Brain [dys]Function?
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry