α2 Adrenergic Receptor Trafficking as a Therapeutic Target in Antidepressant Drug Action.

Antidepressant drugs remain poorly understood, especially with respect to pharmacological mechanisms of action. This lack of knowledge results from the extreme complexity inherent to psychopharmacology, as well as to a corresponding lack of knowledge regarding depressive disorder pathophysiology. While the final analysis is likely to be multifactorial and heterogeneous, compelling evidence exists for upregulation of brain α2 adrenergic receptors (ARs) in depressed patients.