Neuropathology of mood disorders

Abstract 

Mood disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders, yet little is known about their neuropathology. Until recently, the neuropathology of mood disorders has been elucidated using macroscopic investigations, predominantly through neuroimaging studies and histological investigations using post-mortem tissue. Evidence from neuroimaging studies implicates a dysfunction of specific regions of the brain together with histological findings demonstrating subtle morphological and molecular changes within neuronal and glial synapses. Impressive advances have been made over the last decade in the genetics and neuropathology of mood disorders. This contribution discusses both the relevant neuroimaging and histological investigations carried out to date and provides a significant update of candidate susceptibility genes and their relevance in psychiatric disorders.

Keywords:  mood disorders , neuroimaging , europathology

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