Contreras CM, Gutiérrez-García AG. Depression and antidepressant drugs: Beyond a purely neurotransmitter approach. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(4): 115720 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.115720]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Carlos M Contreras, MD, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Senior Researcher, Unidad Periférica Xalapa, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Xalapa 91193, Veracruz, Mexico. ccontreras@uv.mx
Research Domain of This Article
Neurosciences
Article-Type of This Article
Review
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World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2026; 16(4): 115720 Published online Apr 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i4.115720
Depression and antidepressant drugs: Beyond a purely neurotransmitter approach
Carlos M Contreras, Ana G Gutiérrez-García
Carlos M Contreras, Unidad Periférica Xalapa, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM, Xalapa 91193, Veracruz, Mexico
Ana G Gutiérrez-García, Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91193, Veracruz, Mexico
Author contributions: Contreras CM and Gutiérrez-García AG equally edited and reviewed the manuscript, writing, and review of the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflict of interest related to the manuscript.
Corresponding author: Carlos M Contreras, MD, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Senior Researcher, Unidad Periférica Xalapa, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Xalapa 91193, Veracruz, Mexico. ccontreras@uv.mx
Received: October 24, 2025 Revised: November 19, 2025 Accepted: December 25, 2025 Published online: April 19, 2026 Processing time: 158 Days and 6.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Antidepressant drug treatments have been classified based on their actions on neurotransmitters. However, these approaches have not reached solid conclusions about their mechanisms of action, their long latency to achieve clinical efficacy, or the pathophysiological processes that are involved in depression. Recent research suggests a continuum among stress, anxiety, and depression, in which the common denominator is neuroinflammation. Notably, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists and classic antidepressants share actions on neurotrophic factors and glia-neuronal interactions. Therefore, one promising approach for the treatment of pathological anxiety and depression may lie in the search for antiinflammatory drugs with specific actions on neural tissue.
