Fig. 3.

Autophagy, neurogenesis, and stress: Precise levels of autophagy are critical for the maintenance of normal neurogenesis (green arrow). In conditions of psychological stress and the resultant neuropsychiatric conditions, neurogenesis as well as autophagy levels in the hippocampus decrease (red arrows). Conversely, antidepressant treatment results in increased autophagy and also hippocampal neurogenesis (yellow arrows). Epigenetic regulatory mechanisms may play a crucial role in maintaining autophagy and in turn, normal neurogenesis, and could be used to ameliorate behavioral disorders arising from exposure to stress.