Special Issue

Neurobiology of Mood Disorders

Submission Deadline: June 15, 2025 (Open) Submit Now

Guest Editor

Vivek Kumar, Research Lab Specialist Lead

Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Website | E-Mail

Research Interests: Psychiatric disorders; genetic and developmental basis of inherent individual differences; emotional reactivity; substance abuse disorders; cellular and molecular neuroanatomy of rodent and postmortem human brain; fluorescence confocal and light-sheet microscopy; large image-data processing and analysis; tissue clearing techniques

About This Topic

Mood disorders, including major depression and bipolar disorder, are serious, often chronic conditions with high suicide risk, requiring early intervention and advanced research. Diagnosing these disorders in youth is particularly challenging due to symptom overlap with normal behavior or other psychiatric conditions. With the global prevalence of mood disorders rising and their associated morbidity and mortality, the need for improved treatment is more urgent than ever.

Central to mood disorders are abnormalities in serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine neurotransmission. Additionally, genetic variations in serotonin-related genes and HPA axis overactivity have been increasingly recognized as major contributors to depression. Recent advancements in neuroimaging and genome-wide association studies have enhanced our understanding of brain abnormalities and identified numerous genetic risk factors, especially those related to serotonin neurotransmission.

Emerging research underscores the role of immune system dysregulation, particularly glial-neuron interactions, and the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Beyond enhancing the efficacy of standard SSRIs and mood stabilizers, there is growing interest in new therapeutic agents targeting neuroinflammation, glutamate, circadian rhythms, and personalized treatment approaches based on genetic profiles. Moreover, technological interventions such as digital cognitive behavioral therapy via smartphone apps, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and machine learning are being developed to improve treatment accessibility and outcomes. Overall, the integration of neurobiological insights, personalized treatment approaches, and new technologies offers promising advancements in understanding and managing mood disorders.

This special issue aims to highlight studies focusing on neuro-immune dysfunction and the microbiota-gut-brain axis mechanisms associated with mood disorders across clinical, preclinical, and animal models. Additionally, we will cover advancements in the therapeutic mechanisms of novel antipsychotics and mood stabilizers, as well as digital interventions.

Keywords

Mood disorder; depression; bipolar disorder; early intervention; neurotransmission; serotonin; HPA axis; genetic risk factors; neuroinflammation; glial-neuron interactions; microbiota-gut-brain axis; translational research

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (neurobiology@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.

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Publication

Open Access Original Research The Relationship between Anger, Stress, Psychological Distress and Mood Disorders among Entrepreneurs by Nadia A. Abdelmegeed Abdelwahed  and Muhammad Sufyan Ramish Received: 18 December 2024;  Published: 26 May 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2502288 Abstract The present study investigates the association between anger, stress, psychological distress and mood disorders among Egyptian entrepreneurs. Approach-wise, the study is quantitative, and its cross-sectional data were collected using a questionnaire. The study’s respondents are Egyptian entrepreneurs involved in several business [...]