Hypercortisolaemia and Neurobiological Structural Alterations During Depression: How do Current Treatments Fit?

Abstract

Although several treatment options exist for mild, moderate and severe depression, few reports have closely linked the sequence of neuroendocrinal and regional brain structural and connectivity alterations which accompany depression with the therapeutic processes underlying a range of common treatments. By examining the neurobiological correlates of depression (particularly Major Depressive Disorder), and then discussing the underlying causal mechanisms of common treatments, this review suggests that only tangential links may be found between these two sets of variables.