Molecular Mechanisms and Pathophysiology of Anxiety and Depression
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 3346
Special Issue Editors
Interests: psychobiology; animal models; anxiety; depression; herbal treatments; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: schizophrenia
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent disorders and are considered a major public health concern worldwide. The social cost of the physical, mental, and broader personal difficulties associated with these disorders is substantial.
Since the 1960s, the serotonin hypothesis has ruled over as the main explanation for the manifestation of depression. According to the hypothesis, depression is the result of low levels of the serotonin neurotransmitter in the brain. Based on this assumption, researchers developed numerous anti-depressive and anti-anxiolytic drugs that raise the levels of the serotonin neurotransmitter. Unfortunately, despite the availability of a wide range of drugs for treating depression and anxiety, most patients fail to achieve complete and sustained remission of symptoms. The current treatments for depression and anxiety have some pronounced limitations. Notably, they are characterized by low success rates, a variety of side effects, and delayed onset. The delayed onset is particularly interesting: if the serotonin hypothesis is indeed correct, one would expect that once serotonin levels are upregulated, there would be a clinical benefit. However, although SSRIs rapidly increase serotonin levels soon upon treatment initiation, the clinical benefit can take 3–4 weeks to manifest. This calls for a shift from the well-studied ‘serotonin hypothesis’ to a thorough investigation into the mechanisms underlying depression and anxiety.
These mechanisms can arise from various directions—from exploring peripheral mechanisms, such as the connection between the immune system and depression, to studying different central neurocircuitry than monoaminergic or focusing on receptors rather than on neurotransmitters.
The aim of the current research topic is to progress the understanding of the underlying causes of depression and anxiety as well as the biological mechanisms of the major drawbacks and side-effects of current antidepressant treatments.
This research topic calls for all types of articles (Original Research, Methods, Reviews, Protocols, etc.) that cover, but are not restricted to, the following points:
- Novel receptor and/or brain region that may be relevant for depression and anxiety
- The involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction on depression and anxiety
- The role of glial cells in the development of depression and anxiety
- Molecular differences between anxiety and depression
- Molecular mechanisms for side-effects, such as weight gain and loss of sexual interest
- Genetic variance in the susceptibility to side-effects
- Placebo effect in anti-depressant and anxiolytic treatments
- Diagnostical biomarkers for depression
- Long-term biochemical and structural changes in the brain in response to depression and anxiety
- Long-term effects of chronic stress and depression on individual behaviour
- Gender differences in the Pathophysiology of Anxiety and Depression.
Dr. Ravid Doron
Dr. Alon Shamir
Prof. Dr. Gal Yadid
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- depression
- anxiety
- mitochondrial dysfunction
- antidepressant treatments
- chronic stress
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
