Project Summary

Amelia J. Eisch, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, plans to study in rats the effects of the stimulant methylphenidate (MPD) on depression by focusing on its action in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that has been shown to undergo new cell growth after treatment with antidepressants. MDP when given early in a rat’s life induces later in life symptoms of depression, such as decreased drive, increased anxiety and decreased emotion in the animal. In the proposed study, Dr. Eisch will measure if MDP can decrease hippocampal neurogenesis and determine if antidepressants can reverse the MPD-induced decrease in both adult hippocampal proliferation and depressive-like symptoms. Elucidation of the relationship between adult hippocampal neurogenesis and depression may open new lines of research on the neural basis of depression, and may lead to new anatomical or pharmacological targets for antidepressant drugs.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Unipolar Depression

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