Moussaoui D
Encephale. 1978;4(3):193-222.
The author goes briefly over the metabolism of the main cerebral monoamines, the functioning of synapses, as well as the methods used in studying the biochemistry of depression. Beyond all existing contradictory results, a review of the main works in this field enables us to point out some leading ideas:--Depression would be due to and/or accompanied by a monoaminergic deficiency: some authors emphasize the serotonin one, others the noradrenaline one.--The regulation of mood most probably finds its origin in the monoaminergic balance, rather than in the gross rates of any particular monoamine.--Disturbances are to be found on all metabolic levels: monoaminergic, hydroelectrolytic, hormonal, glucidic, lipidic, lipidic... Close intrication exists between those different metabolisms.--The interaction between the different aminergic systems and the metabolic ways, as well as the dispersion of the acknowledged results, impose more and more the necessity of a biochemical typology of depression, which would lead to a predictive approach to the evolution and treatment of depressive illness.
作者简要介绍了大脑主要单胺类物质的代谢、突触的功能，以及研究抑郁症生物化学所采用的方法。抛开所有现有相互矛盾的结果不谈，对该领域主要著作的回顾使我们能够指出一些主导观点：——抑郁症可能是由于单胺能缺乏和/或伴有单胺能缺乏：一些作者强调血清素缺乏，另一些作者强调去甲肾上腺素缺乏。——情绪调节很可能源于单胺能平衡，而非任何特定单胺的总量。——在所有代谢水平上都存在紊乱：单胺能、水电解质、激素、糖类、脂质……这些不同的代谢之间存在密切的错综复杂关系。——不同胺能系统与代谢途径之间的相互作用，以及公认结果的分散性，越来越凸显出对抑郁症进行生化分型的必要性，这将导致对抑郁症的演变和治疗采用预测性方法。
