Chronobiological theories of mood disorder

Fil: Zaki, Nevin F. W. Mansoura University. Faculty of Medicine. Department of Psychiatry; Egipto Fil: Spence, David Warren. Investigador independiente; Canadá Fil: BaHammam, Ahmed S. King Saud University. College of Medicine. University Sleep Disorders Center; Arabia Saudita Fil: Pandi Perumal, Seithikurippu R. Somnogen Inc; Estados Unidos Fil: Cardinali, Daniel Pedro. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Argentina Fil: Cardinali, Daniel Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Cardinali, Daniel Pedro. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Departamento de Docencia e Investigación; Argentina Fil: Brown, Gregory M. University of Toronto. Department of Psychiatry. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; Canadá Abstract: Major depressive disorder (MDD) remains the most prevalent mental disorder and a leading cause of disability, affecting approximately 100 million adults worldwide. The disorder is characterized by a constellation of symptoms affecting mood, anxiety, neurochemical balance, sleep patterns, and circadian and/or seasonal rhythm entrainment. However, the mechanisms underlying the association between chronobiological parameters and depression remain unknown. A PubMed search was conducted to review articles from 1979 to the present, using the following search terms: "chronobiology," "mood," "sleep," and "circadian rhythms." We aimed to synthesize the literature investigating chronobiological theories of mood disorders. Current treatments primarily include tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are known to increase extracellular concentrations of monoamine neurotransmitters. However, these antidepressants do not treat the sleep disturbances or circadian and/or seasonal rhythm dysfunctions associated with depressive disorders. Several theories associating sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances with depression have been proposed. Current evidence supports the existence of associations between these, but the direction of causality remains elusive. Given the existence of chronobiological disturbances in depression and evidence regarding their treatment in improving depression, a chronobiological approach, including timely use of light and melatonin agonists, could complement the treatment of MDD.