Project Summary

E. David Leonardo, M.D., Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University, proposes a study in a mouse model to clarify why selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) require weeks before their clinical effects are evident. Recent evidence from Dr. Leonardo and others shows the effect of SSRIs requires signaling through a certain serotonin receptor, 5-HT1A, which leads to new nerve growth in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The birth of new neurons and new connections occurs in time frame consistent with the drug’s effect. But other studies reveal that the dorsal, or back, part of hippocampus may be involved in learning and memory while the ventral, or front, portion is key to emotion processing. Dr. Leonardo proposes to test whether neurogenesis in the ventral but not dorsal hippocampus is required for antidepressant response in animal models of depression and anxiety, thereby further elucidating the mechanism of action of these drugs.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Unipolar Depression

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