Identification of hypothalamic transcripts upregulated by antidepressants.

Identification of quantitative changes in gene expression that occur in the brain after antidepressant treatment can yield novel molecular markers that may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of major depression. Using a modification of the differential display polymerase chain reaction, we describe the isolation of two transcripts that are differentially expressed in the brain after an 8-week course of antidepressant administration, compared to saline-treated control animals.