Depression is characterised partly by a loss of synaptic plasticity. This loss of plasticity may result from changes to the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In particular, the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex appear to be areas of the brain that are significantly affected in this way. Stress reduces the production of BDNF in these areas, and the result is that neurological changes cause the symptoms of depression. Antidepressant herbs such as ginseng may work through their ability to upregulate levels of BDNF. For example, the ginsenosides Rg3 and Rg5 have been shown to attenuate the loss of BDNF associated with stress. Ginseng extract G115 significantly increases the levels of BDNF in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of animals. Therefore the antidepressant effects of ginseng sesquiterpenoids may relate to their ability to upregulate levels of BDNF in the brain and thus increase BDNF signalling pathways that are required for effective synaptic plasticity.
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