Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 May 12.
Published in final edited form as: Annu Rev Med. 2014 Oct 17;66:509–523. doi: 10.1146/annurev-med-053013-062946

Figure 1.

Figure 1

A schematic representation of the proposed neurobiological model of depression. In this model, prolonged stress and depression alter prefrontal glutamate release and reduce glutamate uptake, leading to increased extracellular glutamate and excitotoxicity. High levels of extracellular glutamate precipitate neuronal atrophy through dendritic retraction, reduced dendritic arborization, decreased spine density, and reduced synaptic strength. An example of the effect of prolonged stress on dendritic arborization and length in rats is shown on the right.