Neuroplasticity and memory formation in major depressive disorder: An imaging genetics perspective on serotonin and BDNF

Abstract

A vast number of imaging studies have demonstrated the impact of serotonin (5-HT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on emotion and memory-related networks in the context of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Underlying molecular mechanisms that affect the functionality of these networks have been examined in detail in animals and corroborate imaging findings. The crucial role of 5-HT and BDNF signaling in the context of MDD is reflected in the etiologic models of MDD such as the monoamine or neuroplasticity hypothesis as well as in pharmacological models of antidepressant response. While antidepressant drug treatment has been primarily linked to the modulation of emotion-related networks, cognitive behavioral therapy has been implicated in a top-down control of limbic structures. Initially, a simple lack of monoamines or BDNF has been proposed as causal factor of MDD etiology. However, recent findings suggest a much more complex neurobiology emphasizing epistatic and epigenetic mechanisms responsible for structural and functional changes observed in emotion and memory-related brain regions of healthy subjects and MDD patients. In this review, which focuses on neuroimaging studies in the context of MDD, the authors will provide a comprehensive overview of these networks as well as on the specific role of 5-HT and BDNF in their development and function.