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Review
. 2022 Nov 21;23(22):14445.
doi: 10.3390/ijms232214445.

BDNF as a Mediator of Antidepressant Response: Recent Advances and Lifestyle Interactions

Susana Cubillos  1 , Olivia Engmann  1 , Anna Brancato  2
Affiliations
Review

BDNF as a Mediator of Antidepressant Response: Recent Advances and Lifestyle Interactions

Susana Cubillos et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Conventional antidepressants are widely employed in several psychiatric and neurologic disorders, yet the mechanisms underlying their delayed and partial therapeutic effects are only gradually being understood. This narrative review provides an up-to-date overview of the interplay between antidepressant treatment and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) signaling. In addition, the impact of nutritional, environmental and physiological factors on BDNF and the antidepressant response is outlined. This review underlines the necessity to include information on lifestyle choices in testing and developing antidepressant treatments in the future.

Keywords: BDNF; TrkB; antidepressants; depression; environment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The paradigm shift in antidepressants’ mechanism of action: focus on TrkB. Chronic monoaminergic antidepressants (AD) increase hippocampal and cortical BDNF levels promoting autocrine/paracrine mechanisms, which include the direct interaction with TrkB and CREB-mediated upregulation in serotonergic terminals. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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