儿童期和青少年期抑郁(早发性抑郁)表现出与成年期抑郁不同的一些临床症状、药物疗效和生理反应特征,导致这些差异的神经生物学基础目前尚不清楚。儿童期和青少年期神经系统的发展变化可能参与旱发性抑郁的病生理,尤其是单胺能神经递质系统结构和功能的变化与早发性抑郁的生理和药物治疗反应密切相关。旱发性抑郁动物模型的建立是研究早发性抑郁脑机制的基础,未来研究的重点是发展有效的早发性抑郁治疗药物和早期心理行为干预技术。
Childhood and adolescent depression (early-onset depression) has been found to differ from adult depression in terms of clinical features, neurobiological response and efficacy of antidepressants. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the differences were poorly understood. Developmental transformations in brain, especially, discrepancy of the maturation of the adrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems during childhood and adolescence maybe involve in pathophysiology of early-onset depression. The establishment of depression model in childhood and adolescence animals was critical to understand the neural basis of early-onset depression and to develop successful treatment and intervention strategies.