Effects of Antidepressant Medication on Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Concentration and Neuroplasticity in Depression: A Review of Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Depression is the most prevalent and debilitating disease with great impact on societies. Evidence suggests Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) plays an important role in pathophysiology of depression. Depression is associated with altered synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. BDNF is the main regulatory protein that affects neuronal plasticity in the hippocampus. A wealth of evidence shows decreased levels of BDNF in depressed patients. Important literature demonstrated that BDNF-TrkB signaling plays a key role in therapeutic action of antidepressants. Numerous studies have reported anti-depressant effects on serum/plasma levels of BDNF and neuroplasticity which may be related to improvement of depressive symptoms. Most of the evidence suggested increased levels of BDNF after antidepressant treatment. This review will summarize recent findings on the association between BDNF, neuroplasticity, and antidepressant response in depression. Also, we will review recent studies that evaluate the association between postpartum depression as a subtype of depression and BDNF levels in postpartum women.