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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Guy Griebel

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Guest Editor

Assets Valorization & Opportunities Evaluation, Translational Sciences Unit, Sanofi R&D, Avenue Pierre Brossolette, 91385 Chilly-Mazarin, France
Interests: antidepressants; depression; neuropeptides; neurogenesis; animal models of depression; social defeat; chronic mild stress; corticosterone; treatment-resistant depression; deep brain stimulation; cingulate cortex

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Depression is a chronic, disabling condition that imposes enormous costs, both on individuals and society at large. This disorder is among the most frequently diagnosed neuropsychiatric diseases in Western countries. Although a variety of treatment options are available (mainly pharmacological), there is still a huge ongoing research effort for novel therapies for this condition. This effort is driven by the growing medical need to improve on the effectiveness and the side effects of current treatment options. For example, it is striking that a significant proportion of patients suffering from depressive disorders do not achieve sustained symptomatic remission. Moreover, an issue that often confounds the discovery of new treatments for depression is our limited understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. The complexity and diversity of depressive symptoms, along with the heterogeneity of brain regions suggested to play a role in these behaviors, have represented major hurdles in the understanding of neural circuits mediating mood disorders. In this Special Issue, we identify a number of key issues in the on-going research efforts in the depression field, and suggest recommendations for how drug discovery in these fields might be made more effective in the future.

Dr. Guy Griebel
Guest Editor

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Post-Ovariectomy Interval Affects the Antidepressant-Like Action of Citalopram Combined with Ethynyl-Estradiol in the Forced Swim Test in Middle Aged Rats

by Nelly M. Vega Rivera, Alfredo Gallardo Tenorio, Alonso Fernández-Guasti and Erika Estrada Camarena

Pharmaceuticals 2016, 9(2), 21; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ph9020021 - 03 May 2016

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4972

Abstract

The use of a combined therapy with low doses of estrogens plus antidepressants to treat depression associated to perimenopause could be advantageous. However the use of these combinations is controversial due to several factors, including the time of intervention in relation to menopause onset. This paper analyzes whether time post-OVX influences the antidepressant-like action of a combination of ethynyl-estradiol (EE₂) and citalopram (CIT) in the forced swim test (FST). Middle-aged (15 months old) female Wistar rats were ovariectomized and after one or three weeks treated with EE₂ (1.25, 2.5 or 5.0 µg/rat, s.c.; −48 h) or CIT (1.25, 2.5, 5.0 or 10 mg/kg, i.p./3 injections in 24 h) and tested in the FST. In a second experiment, after one or three weeks of OVX, rats received a combination of an ineffective dose of EE₂ (1.25 µg/rat, s.c., −48 h) plus CIT (2.5 mg/kg, i.p./3 injections in 24 h) and subjected to the FST. Finally, the uteri were removed and weighted to obtain an index of the peripheral effects of EE₂ administration. EE₂ (2.5 or 5.0 µg/rat) reduced immobility after one but not three weeks of OVX. In contrast, no CIT dose reduced immobility at one or three weeks after OVX. When EE₂ (1.25 µg/rat) was combined with CIT (2.5 mg/kg) an antidepressant-like effect was observed at one but not three weeks post-OVX. The weight of the uteri augmented when EE₂ was administrated three weeks after OVX. The data suggest that the time post-OVX is a crucial factor that contributes to observe the antidepressant-like effect of EE₂ alone or in combination with CIT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antidepressants: Current Progress and Future Prospects)

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