Genomic studies of mood disorders - The brain as a muscle?

Abstract

Recent genomic studies showing abnormalities in the fibroblast growth factor system in the postmortem brains of people with major depressive disorder support previous indications of a role for growth factors in mood disorders. Similar molecular pathways, volumetric changes, and the effects of exercise on mood suggest a superficial analogy, and perhaps a deeper relationship, between muscle and brain functioning. © 2005 BioMed Central Ltd.