Neuroplasticity in Depression: A Narrative Review with Evidence-Based Insights

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. The current pharmacological treatment options for MDD, which rely on the mono-amine hypothesis, has their limitations with respect to treatment non-response, partial response etc. This propels for a search for a novel neurobiological understanding of MDD that can lead to novel treatment options. A literature search strategy was thus employed using relevant keywords pertaining to the topic in PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses, narrative reviews and clinical trials were reviewed to incorporate the most robust evidence-based literature available. A total of 37 publications were narrowed down based upon the topic. Alterations in brain neuroplasticity, as evidenced by changes in neurotrophic factors and from neuroimaging, has been found to be a strong patho-mechanism for MDD. This link has been exploited to stimulate psychopharmacological research to treat MDD.