Stem cells in psychiatry

Abstract

The development of regenerative medicine has provided new perspectives in many scientific fields, including psychiatry. Stem cell research is getting us closer to discovering the biological foundation of mental disorders. In this chapter, we consider the information relating to stem cells and factors involved in their trafficking in peripheral blood in some psychiatric disorders (major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, and alcohol dependence). The authors also include the implementation of current research regarding neurogenesis in adult brain and induced pluripotent stem cells in investigating concerns in etiopathogenesis of mental disorders as well as the implication of research for treatment of these disorders.