Neurobiology of Depression
- 2nd Edition - June 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Editors: Joao L. de Quevedo, Mario Juruena, Carlos A. Zarate
- Language: English
Neurobiology of Depression: Road to Novel Therapeutics, Second Edition follows the success from the previous edition synthesizing the basic neurobiology of major depressive disord… Read more
Purchase options
Neurobiology of Depression: Road to Novel Therapeutics, Second Edition follows the success from the previous edition synthesizing the basic neurobiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) with discussions on the latest research advances, including interacting pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of MDD, omics technologies, genetic approaches, and novel optogenetic techniques revolutionizing depression research. This new edition includes comprehensive foundational understandings of the disorder and highlights recent advances, aiding advanced students and researchers in their understanding of MDD. While Depression, one of the most common mental health disorders, results from various genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors. While first-line antidepressants targeting monoamine neurotransmission are standard, only about one-third of patients achieve remission. This updated edition introduces new chapters exploring groundbreaking topics such as the neurobiology of treatment-resistant depression, the mechanisms that make ketamine a better antidepressant, and the link between depression and Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, it covers the neurobiology of suicide in depression, the impact of psychedelics as therapy, and the unique aspects of bipolar depression. This book also examines computational models in depression, the neurobiology of psychotherapy, and the putative mechanisms of action for vagus nerve stimulation as a therapeutic approach. These additions help to provide a broader and more comprehensive understanding of depression and its treatment.
- Features new chapters on emerging topics such as the neurobiology of suicide, the link between depression and Alzheimer's disease, and the mechanisms of action of psychedelics as therapy, offering readers the latest insights into understanding and treating depression.
- Explores major depressive disorder (MDD) within the framework of the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) recommendations
- Covers a wide array of existing and potential pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options, including lifestyle adjustments, antidepressants, and emerging novel therapeutics, providing readers with comprehensive treatment perspectives
- Synthesizes discussions on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying depressive symptoms with clinical aspects, bridging the gap between basic neuroscience and clinical practice
Advanced students and researchers in neuroscience, psychology, medicine, health sciences, and pharmacology
1. The Classification of Depression: Embracing Phenotypic Heterogeneity in the Era of the RDoC
2. Incidence, Prevalence, and Global Burden of Depression
3. The Role of Environmental and Psychosocial Factors in Depression
4. Gene-Environment Interactions and Epigenetic Mechanisms in Depression
5. Pathophysiology of Cognitive Impairment in Depression
6. Anhedonia in Depression: Mechanisms, Assessment, and Therapeutics
7. The Neurotrophic Hypothesis of Depression Revisited: New Insights and Therapeutic Implications
8. The Monoamine Hypothesis of Depression Revisited: Could It Lead to Mechanistically Novel Antidepressant Strategies?
9. Neuro-Immune Interactions in Depression: Mechanisms and Translational Implications
10. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Depression: Molecular Regulation, Pathophysiological Role, and Translational Implications
11. Intracellular Signalling Pathways Implicated in the Pathophysiology of Depression
12. The Long-Lasting Neurobiological Scars of Early-Life Stress: Implications for the Neurobiology of Depression
13. Molecular, Cellular, and Circuit Basis of Depression Susceptibility and Resilience
14. More Than a Gut Feeling: Emerging Roles of the Microbiome in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Depression
15. Optogenetics: Illuminating the Neural Circuits of Depression
16. Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress: Relevance to the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Depression
17. Obesity and Depression: Shared Pathophysiology and Translational Implications
18. Neurobiology of Antidepressant-Induced Weight Gain
19. Depression and Cardiovascular Risk: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Implications
20. Poststroke Depression: Pathophysiology and Treatment Strategies
21. Is Depression Associated with Accelerated Aging? Mechanisms and Implications
22. Relationship Between Complicated Grief and Depression: Relevance, Etiological Mechanisms, and Implications
23. Understanding the Neurobiology of Depression through Structural Neuroimaging
24. A Neural Circuit-Based Model for Depression Anchored in a Synthesis of Insights from Functional Neuroimaging
25. Could Depression Be Preventable? Evidence and Perspectives
26. Treating Depression in the Era of Precision Medicine: Challenges and Perspectives
27. Neurobiological Aspects of Functional Recovery in Major Depressive Disorder
28. Diet and Depression: From Epidemiology to Novel Therapeutics
29. Physical Activity and Exercise as a Treatment of Depression: Evidence and Neurobiological Mechanism
30. Antidepressants and Suicidality—Controversies and Possible Mechanisms
31. Altered GABAergic Function, Cortical Microcircuitry, and Information Processing in Depression
32. Implications of Pharmacogenomics in Depression Pathophysiology and Treatment
33. Novel Neuromodulatory Approaches for Depression: Neurobiological Mechanisms
34. Electroconvulsive Therapy for Depression: Neurobiological Mechanisms
35. Putative Mechanism of Action for Vagus Nerve Stimulation as Therapeutic for Depression
36. Deep Brain Stimulation: Mechanisms Underpinning Antidepressant Effects
37. Novel Therapeutic Targets for Major Depressive Disorder
38. The Search for Rapid Acting Antidepressants: Research Synthesis and Perspectives
39. Neurobiology of Child and Adolescent Depression
40. Neurobiology of Depression in Women
41. Biological Basis of Late-Life Depression
42. Advances in Early Age Depression
43. What Makes Ketamine a Better Antidepressant?
44. Neurobiology of Suicide in Depression
45. Neurobiology of Depression as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease
46. Neurobiology of Treatment-Resistant Depression
47. Understanding the Mechanism of Action of Psychedelics as Therapy for Depression
48. Neurobiology of Bipolar Depression
49. Computational Models in Depression
50. Neurobiology of Psychotherapy for Depression
2. Incidence, Prevalence, and Global Burden of Depression
3. The Role of Environmental and Psychosocial Factors in Depression
4. Gene-Environment Interactions and Epigenetic Mechanisms in Depression
5. Pathophysiology of Cognitive Impairment in Depression
6. Anhedonia in Depression: Mechanisms, Assessment, and Therapeutics
7. The Neurotrophic Hypothesis of Depression Revisited: New Insights and Therapeutic Implications
8. The Monoamine Hypothesis of Depression Revisited: Could It Lead to Mechanistically Novel Antidepressant Strategies?
9. Neuro-Immune Interactions in Depression: Mechanisms and Translational Implications
10. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Depression: Molecular Regulation, Pathophysiological Role, and Translational Implications
11. Intracellular Signalling Pathways Implicated in the Pathophysiology of Depression
12. The Long-Lasting Neurobiological Scars of Early-Life Stress: Implications for the Neurobiology of Depression
13. Molecular, Cellular, and Circuit Basis of Depression Susceptibility and Resilience
14. More Than a Gut Feeling: Emerging Roles of the Microbiome in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Depression
15. Optogenetics: Illuminating the Neural Circuits of Depression
16. Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress: Relevance to the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Depression
17. Obesity and Depression: Shared Pathophysiology and Translational Implications
18. Neurobiology of Antidepressant-Induced Weight Gain
19. Depression and Cardiovascular Risk: Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Implications
20. Poststroke Depression: Pathophysiology and Treatment Strategies
21. Is Depression Associated with Accelerated Aging? Mechanisms and Implications
22. Relationship Between Complicated Grief and Depression: Relevance, Etiological Mechanisms, and Implications
23. Understanding the Neurobiology of Depression through Structural Neuroimaging
24. A Neural Circuit-Based Model for Depression Anchored in a Synthesis of Insights from Functional Neuroimaging
25. Could Depression Be Preventable? Evidence and Perspectives
26. Treating Depression in the Era of Precision Medicine: Challenges and Perspectives
27. Neurobiological Aspects of Functional Recovery in Major Depressive Disorder
28. Diet and Depression: From Epidemiology to Novel Therapeutics
29. Physical Activity and Exercise as a Treatment of Depression: Evidence and Neurobiological Mechanism
30. Antidepressants and Suicidality—Controversies and Possible Mechanisms
31. Altered GABAergic Function, Cortical Microcircuitry, and Information Processing in Depression
32. Implications of Pharmacogenomics in Depression Pathophysiology and Treatment
33. Novel Neuromodulatory Approaches for Depression: Neurobiological Mechanisms
34. Electroconvulsive Therapy for Depression: Neurobiological Mechanisms
35. Putative Mechanism of Action for Vagus Nerve Stimulation as Therapeutic for Depression
36. Deep Brain Stimulation: Mechanisms Underpinning Antidepressant Effects
37. Novel Therapeutic Targets for Major Depressive Disorder
38. The Search for Rapid Acting Antidepressants: Research Synthesis and Perspectives
39. Neurobiology of Child and Adolescent Depression
40. Neurobiology of Depression in Women
41. Biological Basis of Late-Life Depression
42. Advances in Early Age Depression
43. What Makes Ketamine a Better Antidepressant?
44. Neurobiology of Suicide in Depression
45. Neurobiology of Depression as a Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease
46. Neurobiology of Treatment-Resistant Depression
47. Understanding the Mechanism of Action of Psychedelics as Therapy for Depression
48. Neurobiology of Bipolar Depression
49. Computational Models in Depression
50. Neurobiology of Psychotherapy for Depression
- Edition: 2
- Latest edition
- Published: June 1, 2026
- Language: English
JQ
Joao L. de Quevedo
Dr. João Luciano de Quevedo, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Psychiatry at the McGovern Medical School, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where he is the Vice-Chair for Faculty Development and Outreach, Director of the Translational Psychiatry Program, and Director of the Treatment-Resistant Depression Clinic. Before moving to Houston, he was a Dean at the University of Southern Santa Catarina Medical School, Criciúma, SC, Brazil, where he is still an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry and Director of the Continuous Medical Education Program in Psychiatry (PROPSIQ) of the Brazilian Psychiatric Association. Dr. Quevedo’s research interest is neurobiology of psychiatric disorders, particularly mood disorders, and he is a specialist in both unipolar and bipolar treatment–resistant depression. He is author of nearly 600 publications and 10 scientific books.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor of Psychiatry at the McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USAMJ
Mario Juruena
Dr Mario Juruena is currently a Clinical Reader in Translational Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Centre for Affective Disorders, Dept of Psychological Medicine at King’s College London, UK. Dr Juruena is also a Consultant Psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and National Affective Disorder Service (NADS), currently the Lead Consultant for the Maudsley Advanced Treatment Service for Difficult to treat Depression and Bipolar Disorders (MATS/ SLaM).
He graduated in Medicine (MD) from Pontifical Catholic University, Southern Brazil. Dr Juruena completed his Psychiatry Training at the Saint Peter Hospital/ Public Health School and received his MPhil in Psychobiology at the Federal University of Sao Paulo and then MSc in Affective Neuroscience at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. He has also completed Cognitive Psychotherapy Training at Beck Institute (Dip CBT), Philadelphia, USA.
Dr Juruena completed his PhD in Treatment-Resistant Depression and Stress Hormones at the University of London/King’s College London in 2007. Dr Juruena has published over 150 original research articles, reviews and book chapters, and edited five books. Most of his studies are related to the Neurobiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Affective disorders (Depression and Bipolar); and their relationship to Stress.
Dr Mario Juruena was awarded by the British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) ‘The Senior Clinical Psychopharmacology Award’ and received the ‘Robert W. Kerwin Psychopharmacology Prize’ from the Royal College of Psychiatrists for the best article published on the subject in the British Journal of Psychiatry. In addition, he was recently awarded the Newton Research Fellow from the Royal Society and Academy of Medical Sciences.
Affiliations and expertise
King’s College of London, UKCZ
Carlos A. Zarate
Dr. Zarate completed his residency training in psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Brockton VAMC division. He later completed a fellowship in Clinical Psychopharmacology at McLean Hospital of the Consolidated Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and remained on staff at McLean Hospital as the Director of the Bipolar and Psychotic Disorders Outpatient Services. From 1998 to 2000 Dr. Zarate was the Chief of the Bipolar and Psychotic Disorders Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In 2001, he joined the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at NIMH. His achievements and awards include the Ethel-DuPont Warren Award and Livingston Awards, Consolidated Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Outstanding Psychiatrist Research Award, Massachusetts Psychiatric Association; Program for Minority Research Training in Psychiatry, APA; the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression Young Investigator Award; National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression Independent Investigator Award; the National Institutes of Health Director’s Award Scientific/Medical, the 2011 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Award for Bipolar Mood Disorder Research, the 2013 National Institute of Health Director’s Award—Scientific/Medical Achievement and Mogens Schou Research Award: Bipolar Disorder and the Simon-Bolivar Award American Psychiatric Association; 2015 Ruth L. Kirschtein Mentoring Award NIH and the Astute Clinician Lecture Award, NIH; the 2019 ACNP Dolores Shockley Minority Mentoring Award; and in 2019 was promoted to NIH Distinguished Investigator, NIMH, NIH. Dr. Zarate is a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and member of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Zarate’s research focuses on the pathophysiology and development of novel therapeutics for treatment-resistant mood disorders as well as the study of biomarkers and neural correlates of treatment response.
Affiliations and expertise
National Institute of Health