Stress: Effects and New Discoveries

 Everyday life is hectic and demanding, leading people to suffer high amounts of stress. With copious amounts of stress, depression begins to take hold. High levels of depression and stress cause morphological changes in the brain.  Emotions lose balance, memories falter, and learning is hindered when the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus are affected by stress and depression. Neurogenesis, the development of neural tissue, has been in popular light due to the discovery that adults are able to generate neurons. While mood disorders limit the production of new cells, antidepressants encourage neurogenesis. 

Researchers in King's College London discovered a protein that is accountable for the inhibition of cell growth caused by mood disorders. Luckily, they were also able to produce a pharmacological compound that blocks the effects of stress that are manipulated by the protein. Now named SGK1, the protein influences the effects of stress hormones on new cell growth and development.  Researchers blocked the effects of SGK1 with the drug compound (GSK650394).  These findings were possible by initially studying SGK1 activity and the alterations it had on cell development in animal models. Only 50-55% of patients that are diagnosed with depression are alleviated by modern antidepressants. This conveys that pharmacological advancements need to be made in the realm of mood disorders. Targeting specific compounds such as SGK1 in further research can allow the creation of new antidepressant treatments. 

King's College London. (2013, May 6). Effects of stress on brain cells offer clues to new anti-depressant drugs. ScienceDaily. 
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130506181446.htm

Image: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/angst-anxiety/files/2012/01/depression.jpg