Research and treatment approaches to depression

Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide, but we know little about the underlying fundamental biology. Research its hindered by the difficulties of modelling a disorder of higher cognitive functions in animals. Depression can be understood as the interaction of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors; however, current classifications are purely descriptive. The complexity of this field is best approached by rigorous explorations of known candidate systems in conjunction with the use of genomic: tools to discover new targets for antidepressants and to predict therapeutic outcomes.