Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2026

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model
Published on: June 6, 2025
Neurokinin-1 receptors are decreased in major depressive disorder
Craig A Stockmeier1, Xiaochun Shi, Lisa Konick
1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson 39216, USA.
Abstract:
Treatment with an antagonist at the neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor may alleviate depression, however the brain region(s) in which the NK-1 receptor antagonist exerts its therapeutic effect is unknown. [125I]BH-Substance P was used to measure NK-1 receptors postmortem in cytoarchitectonically defined areas of rostral orbitofrontal cortex (Brodmann's area 47) of subjects with major depressive disorder (n = 12, six females) and psychiatrically normal subjects (n = 11, five females). Six subjects with depression died by suicide. Subjects with depression showed decreased binding to NK-1 receptors across all cortical layers (p = 0.024). The pathophysiology of depression, and the reported therapeutic benefit of NK-1 receptor antagonists, may thus involve NK-1 receptors in prefrontal cortex.
Related Concept Videos
G Protein-coupled Receptors
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists
Depression: Overview
Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive EGFR activation may...
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake