The stressed brain. Inquiry into neurobiological changes associated with stress, depression and novel antidepressant treatment
PhD ceremony: Ms. G. Dagyte, 11.00 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen
Title: The stressed brain. Inquiry into neurobiological changes associated with stress, depression and novel antidepressant treatment
Promotor(s): prof. P.G.M. Luiten, prof. J.A. den Boer, prof. E.A. van der Zee
Faculty: Mathematics and Natural Sciences
The Ph.D. thesis of Girsté Dagyte aims to dissect fundamental stress-induced alterations in the brain that might predispose to psychopathology. Moreover, it investigates neurobiological changes associated with treatment of agomelatine, a new antidepressant with an innovative pharmacological profile (agomelatine acts as a melatonin receptor agonist and serotonergic 5-HT2C receptor antagonist).
Do you recognize the symptoms of stress – tensing up, hyperventilating, rapid heart beating? These are our body’s reactions to events of danger – whether it is real or imagined. Stress can save your life and boost your productivity, but if you cannot cope with it, severe and continuous stress may harm you.
Stress and its related disorders pose a considerable threat to health in modern societies. Stressful life events promote changes in the brain that may lead to psychopathology, such as major depression. Although various remedies have been developed to treat depressive disorder, their therapeutic effects are suboptimal and the specific mechanisms of action remain obscure.
The experimental work presented in the thesis of Dagyte reveals that chronic stress is accompanied by neuronal and synaptic changes in the brain. Nonetheless, the stress effects have specific temporal dynamics and depend on the type and duration of the stress experience. Dagyte\ s results also suggest that processes of neuronal and synaptic plasticity are involved in the action mechanism of agomelatine. This information yields more general insight into mechanisms underlying the recovery from stress-related psychopathologies, and thereby may open up novel prospects for their treatment and prevention.
Last modified: | 13 March 2020 01.15 a.m. |
More news
-
28 October 2024
CogniGron: A revolution in future-proof computing
In this first article of the two-part CogniGron series, Beatriz Noheda, Niels Taatgen, and Erika Covi tell us about drawing inspiration from the human brain to make smart devices even smarter.
-
24 October 2024
Seven UG and UMCG researchers awarded Vidi grant
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a Vidi grant of up to €800,000 to Laura Baams, M.J. Bonder, Ranko Gacesa, Kristina Haslinger, Julian Koellermeier, Cyril Moers, Adrià Rofes, and Judith E.C. Verweijen. With this grant, the researchers...
-
21 October 2024
Creating a simplified form of life
How can lifeless molecules come together to form a living cell? Bert Poolman, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Groningen, has been working on this problem for over twenty years.