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Novel agents in development for the treatment of depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2013

Meghan M. Grady  and
Stephen M. Stahl
Meghan M. Grady*
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Education Institute, Carlsbad, California, USA
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Education Institute, Carlsbad, California, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of California–San Diego, San Diego, California, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: Meghan M. Grady, BA, Neuroscience Education Institute, 1930 Palomar Point Way, Suite 101, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA. (Email: mgrady@neiglobal.com)
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Abstract

There are several investigational drugs in development for the treatment of depression. Some of the novel antidepressants in development target monoaminergic neurotransmission in accordance with the “monoamine hypothesis of depression.” However, the current conceptualization of antidepressant actions is that it is the downstream effects on protein synthesis and neuroplasticity that account for therapeutic efficacy, rather than the immediate effects on synaptic monoamine levels. Thus, a number of novel agents in development directly target components of this “neuroplasticity hypothesis of depression,” including hypothetically overactive glutamatergic neurotransmission and dysfunctional hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis functioning.

Keywords

Antidepressantglutamatemultimodalnoveltriple reuptake
Type
CME Review Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 18 , Issue s1: CME SUPPLEMENT , December 2013 , pp. 34 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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Footnotes

This CME article is supported by an educational grant from Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

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