Antidepressants and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are major therapeutic
strategies for mood disorders. ECT is the most potent treatment for antidepressantresistant
mood disorders; however, the underlying mechanisms of action remain largely
unclear. Therefore, the identification of the molecular and cellular mechanisms affected
by ECT may provide further insight into the pathophysiology of depression and the
development of more effective therapeutic strategies.
Herein, a variety of hypotheses on the pathophysiology of mood disorders and the
mechanism of antidepressive treatments are reviewed, with an emphasis on
synaptogenesis. Our findings suggest that synaptogenesis is involved in the mechanism
of action of ECT, possibly via thrombospondin (TSP)-1, a member of TSP family that
was reported to be secreted by astrocytes to regulate synaptogenesis in the brain.
Keywords: Astrocyte, Electroconvulsive therapy, Mood disorder,
Synaptogenesis, Thrombospondin-1.
