A SEMINAR PRESENTATION

BY

GIFT ARIYE JOHN

UAT20/03/01/1413
ON

BIOCHEMISTRY OF MOOD DISORDER

SUBMITTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL SCIENCES, BSC. BIOCHEMISTRY
FACULTY OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES
SUPERVISOR: DR. INIEBIYO FELAGHA
MAY, 2024.
OUTLINE OF
PRESENTATION
◦ Mood Disorder And Its Biochemical Basis

◦ Impact of Mood Disorder

◦ Neurotransmitters and Mood Regulation

◦ Neuroendocrine System and Mood Disorders

◦ Neuroplasticity and Mood Disorders

◦ Mood disorder relating to pregnant women

◦ Conclusion

◦ References
Mood Disorder And Its Biochemical Basis
◦ are complex mental
health conditions that
involve dysregulation
of various biochemical
processes in the brain
(Krishnan & Nestler,
2008).

Title: Biochemical basis of mood disorder

Impact of Mood Disorder

◦ Individual Impact

◦ Family Impact

◦ Societal Impact (WHO 2017).

THE
BRAIN

Title: The Brain

Source: News Medical, 2020
Neurotransmitters and Mood Regulation
 Serotonin
◦role in mood regulation
◦mechanisms of synthesis, release,
and reuptake (Belmaker & Agam, 2008).

 Dopamine
◦ role in reward and pleasure
◦ neurotransmitter pathways and
receptors (Nestler & Carlezon Jr, 2006) Source: Bello & Niang, 2011
Neuroendocrine System and Mood Disorders

 Hypothalamic-Pituitary-
Adrenal (HPA) Axis
◦ stress response and cortisol
(Sapolsky, 2015).

Title: Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis pathway

Source: Okdeh, 2023.
 Thyroid Hormones
◦role in metabolism and mood
regulation

◦thyroid dysfunction and mood

disorders (Hage & Azar, 2012).

Title: Structure of Thyroid Hormone

Source: D’Aurizio et al., 2022
Neuroplasticity and Mood Disorders

 Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

◦ role in neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity (Autry & Monteggia, 2012).

◦ molecular mechanisms and regulation (Martinowich & Lu, 2008).

Mood disorder relating to pregnant women
• Perinatal or postpartum mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD)
◦ distressing feelings that occur during pregnancy (perinatal) and throughout the first year after pregnancy
(postpartum).
◦ Feelings can be mild, moderate or severe.

 Baby Blues
◦ a period of normal adjustment after having a baby when women may feel physically and emotionally
overwhelmed.
◦ Approximately 50 percent to 80 percent of new mothers experience mood swings and weepiness during the first
two to three weeks after giving birth.
CONCLUSION
◦ Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, are complex psychiatric
conditions characterized by disturbances in mood, cognition, and behavior.

◦ Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, glutamate, and GABA are key

neurotransmitters implicated in mood regulation

◦ Dysfunctional hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, disrupted

neuroplasticity, and aberrant circuitry contribute to the development and maintenance
of mood symptoms.
REFERENCES
Autry, A. E., & Monteggia, L. M. (2012). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Pharmacological Reviews, 64(2), 238-258.

Belmaker, R. H., & Agam, G. (2008). Major depressive disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 358(1), 55-68.

Hage, M. P., & Azar, S. T. (2012). The link between thyroid function and depression. Journal of Thyroid Research, 2012,
590648.

Krishnan, V., & Nestler, E. J. (2008). The molecular neurobiology of depression. Nature, 455(7215), 894-902.

Martinowich, K., & Lu, B. (2008). Interaction between BDNF and serotonin: role in mood disorders.
Neuropsychopharmacology, 33(1), 73-83.

Nestler, E. J., & Carlezon Jr, W. A. (2006). The mesolimbic dopamine reward circuit in depression. Biological Psychiatry,
59(12), 1151-1159.

Sapolsky, R. M. (2015). Stress and the brain: Individual variability and the inverted-U. Nature Neuroscience, 18(10), 1344-
1346.

World Health Organization. (2017). Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates. Retrieved
from https://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/prevalence_global_health_estimates/en/