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Exp Neurobiol 2014; 23(1): 28-35
Published online March 30, 2014
https://doi.org/10.5607/en.2014.23.1.28
© The Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences
Chansoo Jun1,2#, Yera Choi2,3#, Soo Mee Lim2,4, Sujin Bae5, Young Sun Hong2,6, Jieun E. Kim2,7* and In Kyoon Lyoo1,2*
1College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2Ewha Brain Institute, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, 3Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul 151-747, 4Department of Radiology, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul 158-710, Korea, 5Brain Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA, 6Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul 158-710, 7Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University Graduate School, Seoul 120-750, Korea
Correspondence to: *To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Jieun E. Kim
TEL: 82-2-3277-6932, FAX: 82-2-3277-6932
e-mail: kjieun@ewha.ac.kr
In Kyoon Lyoo
TEL: 82-2-3277-3039, FAX: 82-2-3277-3044
e-mail: inkylyoo@ewha.ac.kr
#These authors equally contributed to the present review.
The role of glutamatergic system in the neurobiology of mood disorders draws increasing attention, as disturbance of this system is consistently implicated in mood disorders including major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Thus, the glutamate hypothesis of mood disorders is expected to complement and improve the prevailing monoamine hypothesis, and may indicate novel therapeutic targets. Since the contribution of astrocytes is found to be crucial not only in the modulation of the glutamatergic system but also in the maintenance of brain energy metabolism, alterations in the astrocytic function and neuroenergetic environment are suggested as the potential neurobiological underpinnings of mood disorders. In the present review, the evidence of glutamatergic abnormalities in mood disorders based on postmortem and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies is presented, and disrupted energy metabolism involving astrocytic dysfunction is proposed as the underlying mechanism linking altered energy metabolism, perturbations in the glutamatergic system, and pathogenesis of mood disorders.
Keywords: mood disorders, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, glutamate, astrocytes, magnetic resonance spectroscopy