Biology of Depressive Disorders. Part A: A Systems Perspective (The Depressive Illness Series, 3)

This volume is the third in a series on depressive illness. The first volume, entitled Phenomenology of Depressive Illness, is devoted to a de­ scription of depressive illness from a variety of perspectives that include those of the patient, the clinician, and the psychiatric researcher. It de­ scribes the major subtypes of depressive illness and places them in the context of the life cycle. The second volume in this series is entitled Models of Depres­ sive Disorders: Psychological, Biological, and Genetic Perspectives. This volume describes several major models of depressive disorders, in­ cluding genetic, cognitive, interpersonal, intrapsychic, and neurobio­ logical models. The third and fourth volumes deal with the biology of affective disorders in detail. These volumes are distinguished by a triaxial ap­ proach. In Volume III the biology of affective disorders is described from the perspective of individual transmitter systems and neurophysi­ ologic and biologic processes. In Volume IV the biology of depression is addressed from the vantage point of symptom components of de­ pression, and similarities and differences in the biology of depression are described compared to other psychiatric disorders with clinically overlapping features such as anxiety disorders or eating disorders. The effects on biology of comorbid conditions such as anxiety, personal­ ity disorders, alcoholism, and eating disorders are reviewed. These ap­ proaches incorporate issues of state versus trait. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Noradrenergic Function in Depressive Disorders....Pages 1-27 Serotonin and Major Depression....Pages 29-49 Cholinergic Supersensitivity in Affective Disorders....Pages 51-78 Gaba and Depression....Pages 79-108 Biological Rhythms and Depressive Disorders....Pages 109-122 Sleep Disorders in Depressive Disorders....Pages 123-154 Thyroid Axis and Depressive Disorders....Pages 155-170 The HPA Axis and Depressive Disorders....Pages 171-188 The Molecular Genetics of Bipolar Disease....Pages 189-204 Brain Imaging Studies of Depressive Disorders....Pages 205-258 Back Matter....Pages 259-272 The two parts of The Biology of Depressive Disorders detail the differences between the constitutional predisposition toward affective disorders and the pathophysiological changes of these disorders, as well as the secondary effects of treatment and illness. Part A examines affective disorders from the perspective of individual transmitter systems and neurophysiological and biological processes