[Suicide and depression in the postmortem evaluation of disturbed neuronal activity]

The authors have reviewed the results of their postmortem neurohistological investigations related to the evaluation of impaired activity of brain structures relevant to pathophysiology of depression. Chronic changes in ribosomal DNA transcriptional activity have been indirectly suggested by the AgNOR staining method in neurons of the prefrontal limbic regions, the amygdala, the external globus pallidus, and the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus. The impact of processes leading to suicide has been clearly accentuated in contrast to the weak influence of unipolar-bipolar dichotomy. The present results support the view that suicide and depression constitute pathological phenomena with partially different neurobiology. They may be also relevant to forensic pathology.