Neuroplasticity [antikvár]

Foreword Jean-Pierre Olié Recent developments, mainly from molecular biology, genetics, and medical imaging show that depressive disorders are associated with alterations of neuroplasticity in brain areas regulating mood and emotions. This allows better understanding of the aetiology and the pathophysiology of depressive illnesses. The aim of this book is to present these recent advances and alsó to discuss their clinical consequences. The neuroplasticity approach to depression provides better explanations of numerous clinical observations such as the variability of clinical features that depressive illnesses can have, the high susceptibility to recurrence, or the frequency that somé somatic diseases are associated with depression. An increased knowledge of the pathophysiology of depression will help us to improve the treatment of patients with depressive disorders, and to have a better understanding of how it can work. Indeed, research into neuroplasticity in brain areas, and how it participates in the regulation of mood and emotions, seems a key point for all therapeutic approaches. Neuroplasticity, being a new approach to the pathophysiology of depression, not only changes how we study and conceptualize depressive disorders, but will alsó change the way we treat depression with various therapeutic tools, making management more effective.