Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Morphological brain changes in depression: can antidepressants reverse them?

José Javier Miguel-Hidalgo1, Grazyna Rajkowska

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 39216, USA. jmiguel-hidalgo@psychiatry.umsmed.edu

CNS Drugs
|May 25, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Glutamate signaling and transport around nodes of Ranvier and internodal myelin regions.

Histology and histopathology·2026
Same author

Paranode length in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with major depression and rats under chronic unpredictable stress.

Journal of affective disorders·2025
Same author

Neuroprotective astroglial response to neural damage and its relevance to affective disorders.

Exploration of neuroprotective therapy·2023
Same author

Reduced length of nodes of Ranvier and altered proteoglycan immunoreactivity in prefrontal white matter in major depressive disorder and chronically stressed rats.

Scientific reports·2023
Same author

Astrocytes as Context for the Involvement of Myelin and Nodes of Ranvier in the Pathophysiology of Depression and Stress-Related Disorders.

Journal of psychiatry and brain science·2023
Same author

Layer III pyramidal cells in the prefrontal cortex reveal morphological changes in subjects with depression, schizophrenia, and suicide.

Translational psychiatry·2022
Same journal

Impact of Omaveloxolone on Serum Lipids in Patients with Friedreich Ataxia: A 1-Year Real-World Analysis.

CNS drugs·2026
Same journal

Emerging Pharmacological Strategies for Trigeminal Neuralgia.

CNS drugs·2026
Same journal

Psychiatric Symptoms Associated with Corticosteroid Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

CNS drugs·2026
Same journal

Anti-CD20 Therapies in Pediatric Acquired Demyelinating Syndromes: Evidence Across MS, AQP4-IgG-Positive NMOSD and MOGAD.

CNS drugs·2026
Same journal

Isoform-Specific NaV Modulation in Painful Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy: Promise, Limitations, and a Clinical Agenda.

CNS drugs·2026
Same journal

Correction: Seletracetam Revisited: A Missed Opportunity for Effective Epilepsy Therapy.

CNS drugs·2026
See all related articles

Antidepressants may reverse brain structural changes linked to depression. Further human studies are needed to confirm if reversing these abnormalities is key to treatment effectiveness.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Depression is associated with structural brain changes in cortical and subcortical regions.
  • These brain regions show functional alterations in mood disorders, suggesting a role in depression pathophysiology.
  • Antidepressants may influence neural structure, as shown in animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether antidepressant treatment can reverse or regulate depression-related structural brain changes in humans.
  • To explore the potential role of structural changes in the therapeutic action of antidepressants.

Main Methods:

  • Review of structural neuroimaging and postmortem histopathological studies in depression.
  • Examination of findings from animal models of antidepressant effects on neural structures.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Consideration of evidence from other psychotropic drug treatments (lithium, antipsychotics).

    • Main Results:

    • Human studies directly addressing antidepressant-induced reversal of depression-related structural changes are lacking.
    • Animal studies indicate antidepressants can alter dendrites, axons, and neural cell numbers.
    • Evidence from other psychiatric treatments suggests psychotropic drugs can normalize structural changes.

    Conclusions:

    • Morphological brain changes are implicated in depression, and antidepressants might reverse them.
    • Further longitudinal studies are required to confirm the role of structural change reversal in antidepressant efficacy.
    • Comparisons between treated and untreated depressed patients are necessary to understand these effects.