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Kojima Team
| Researcher's name | Masami Kojima Leader,National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST) |
|---|---|
| Research Themes | Development of diagnosis and treatment techniques for patients with sever intractable depression and insensitivity to antidepressant treatment based on molecular and cellular researches on BDNF and depression |
Content
The finding that chronic antidepressant (AD)-treatment increases the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in brain raised a possibility that BDNF is a key molecule implicated in pathology of depression and biological response to AD treatment. Nevertheless, molecular and cellular mechanisms that link BDNF action with severe and antidepressant-resistant depression remain ill-defined. In this project, we have assumed that deficits in secretion and processing of BDNF are crucial causes of intractable depression and resistance to AD exposure. Based on this hypothesis, we will attempt the development of new diagnosis and treatment techniques for patients with sever intractable depression and insensitivity to AD treatment by clarifying molecular pathogenesis of depression, searching for blood biomarkers, and by using diagnostic functional and structural imaging of brain.
