[Adrenergic and serotonergic receptors during depression and its therapy]

It is supposed that adrenergic and serotonergic receptor systems can play a crucial role in pathophysiology of depressive disorder. The hypothesis are based on changes of levels of serotonin and noradrenaline and on changes of their binding sites during depression and its treatment. Study of adrenergic and serotonergic receptors by pharmacological and molecular biological methods give rise to their division to many types and subtypes. This division makes possible to study the depressive disorder and its treatment on well defined receptors systems. Decreased density of beta- and 5-HT1-receptors was found during depression. Antidepressants influence 5-HT2 and adrenergic receptors mainly. Consequently, interaction between adrenergic and serotonergic systems exerts both in the origin of depression and during the treatment. Mutual influence and cooperation of different receptors systems are the main topics of research in this field.