Fakhoury Marc
Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut Campus, Lebanon.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2021 Mar 2;106:110094. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110094. Epub 2020 Sep 3.
Depression is a severe and chronic mental disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Symptoms include depressed mood, loss of interest, reduced motivation and suicidal thoughts. Even though findings from genetic, molecular and imaging studies have helped provide some clues regarding the mechanisms underlying depression-like behaviors, there are still many unanswered questions that need to be addressed. Optogenetics, a technique developed in the early 2000s, has proved effective in the study and treatment of depression and depression-like behaviors and has revolutionized already known experimental techniques. This technique employs light and genetic tools to either inhibit or excite specific neurons or pathways within the brain. In this review paper, an up-to-date understanding of the use of optogenetics in the study of depression-like behaviors is provided, along with suggestions for future research directions.
抑郁症是一种严重的慢性精神障碍，影响着全球数百万人。症状包括情绪低落、兴趣丧失、动力下降和自杀念头。尽管基因、分子和成像研究的结果有助于提供一些关于类似抑郁行为潜在机制的线索，但仍有许多未解决的问题需要解决。光遗传学是21世纪初开发的一种技术，已被证明在抑郁症和类似抑郁行为的研究及治疗中有效，并彻底改变了已知的实验技术。该技术利用光和基因工具来抑制或激发大脑内特定的神经元或神经通路。在这篇综述文章中，提供了对光遗传学在类似抑郁行为研究中的最新理解，以及对未来研究方向的建议。
