The Roles of Neurotrophic Factor and Wnt Signaling in Depression

Depression is a debilitating disease with a lifetime prevalence of similar to 16% in the American population.(1) In addition to the monoamine hypothesis, altered expressions of neurotrophic factors, growth factors, and Wnt signaling are implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression. This review focuses on intracellular signaling cascades that underlie depression and treatment response.