Epigenetics in suicide and depression.

摘要

Underlying causes of major depressive disorder (MDD) remain an enigma. A major gain of uncovering mechanisms leading to this devastating disorder will be the prevention of suicide, the worst outcome of MDD. In the search to understand the neurobiology of MDD, several promising hypotheses have been formulated. These hypotheses are largely focused on alterations in monoaminergic neurotransmission, trophic factor signaling, neurogenesis, and glial development and transport. However, recent evidence may potentially bring together all of these hypotheses and offer a basis for understanding the complexity of MDD. This process involves epigenetic gene regulation and provides a nexus for gene/environment interaction, both of which are known to increase the risk for MDD. In addition, epigenetic mechanisms are accessible therapeutic targets that are already in development for many diverse diseases, including certain types of cancer and neurodegenera-tive disorders.