About this Research Topic
The most prevalent mental disorder, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), affects over 200 million people worldwide. MDD is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Accumulating evidence indicates that MDD is caused by several environmental stressors. Animal models have shown that acute and chronic stress induce a spectrum of behavioral abnormalities in rodents that parallel depressive symptoms with involvement of oxidative stress. These animal models also are used to study the reason resilience and vulnerability to the same stressors. Psychological resilience has been broadly defined as “the capacity to maintain, or regain, psychological well-being in the face of challenge”. The big question of this topic is “The oxidative stress could be involved in the resilience of depression?”
Childhood maltreatment, interpersonal conflict, and trauma are several environmental stressors that can cause MDD. However, why some people are resilient and others are vulnerable to the same stress type? Acute and chronic stress used in animal models have shown some mechanisms involved in resilience to stress. It is possible to evaluate because these stressors evoke behavioral changes resembling clinical depression, such as reduced sucrose intake, altered weight gain, sleep changes and a decrease in responsiveness to rewarding stimuli. In this Research Topic, our goal is to explore the involvement of oxidative stress pathways, the imbalance of oxidant/antioxidants within the brain and the oxidative damage to DNA, mitochondria, lipids, and proteins. Mitochondrial impairment, in turn, can accelerate the production of reactive species, which further modifies biological macromolecules and alters several cellular functions. Specially, in the brain, the accumulation of oxidative damage result in loss of neuronal plasticity and function, neuroinflammation, deregulation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and in apoptotic cell death, processes that have also been implicated as underlying mechanisms of resilience and of the pathophysiology of severe mood disorders.
Themes of interest include but are not limited to the following:
• Chronic and acute effects of stress;
• Involvement of oxidative stress in resilience to stress and/or depression;
• Resilience to stress and antidepressant responses
Childhood maltreatment, interpersonal conflict, and trauma are several environmental stressors that can cause MDD. However, why some people are resilient and others are vulnerable to the same stress type? Acute and chronic stress used in animal models have shown some mechanisms involved in resilience to stress. It is possible to evaluate because these stressors evoke behavioral changes resembling clinical depression, such as reduced sucrose intake, altered weight gain, sleep changes and a decrease in responsiveness to rewarding stimuli. In this Research Topic, our goal is to explore the involvement of oxidative stress pathways, the imbalance of oxidant/antioxidants within the brain and the oxidative damage to DNA, mitochondria, lipids, and proteins. Mitochondrial impairment, in turn, can accelerate the production of reactive species, which further modifies biological macromolecules and alters several cellular functions. Specially, in the brain, the accumulation of oxidative damage result in loss of neuronal plasticity and function, neuroinflammation, deregulation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and in apoptotic cell death, processes that have also been implicated as underlying mechanisms of resilience and of the pathophysiology of severe mood disorders.
Themes of interest include but are not limited to the following:
• Chronic and acute effects of stress;
• Involvement of oxidative stress in resilience to stress and/or depression;
• Resilience to stress and antidepressant responses
Keywords: Resilience, Stress, Mood disorders, Oxidative stress, Depression
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