Selected aspects of the pathogenesis of depression and the mechanisms of antidepressant action of statins

Abstract

There is a bidirectional relationship between the occurrence of depressive disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Both depression can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and patients with cardiovascular disease often suffer from depression. This article presents four selected pathogenic mechanisms of depression: neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial fragmentation disorders, and the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathway.

Further research is needed on the molecular basis of the antidepressant effect of statins, the elucidation of which could help develop new therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of depression associated with cardiovascular diseases.