Arguing that psychological, psychosocial, and cultural factors offer weak prediction and less clinical use in understanding suicide, Dwivedi (psychiatry, U. of Illinois at Chicago) brings together 21 articles that consider how the neurobiological basis of suicide can aid in identifying risk factors. Psychiatrists, neuroscientists, pharmacologists, and mental health researchers from North America, Belgium, and Israel address diagnosis, traits, states, and co-morbidity in suicide; the neuroanatomical basis of serotonergic abnormalities that are specific to suicide; the neurobiological features and functional output of the brain noradrenergic system and its potential involvement; the role of GABA in depressive behavior; the role of the endocannabinoid system, stress, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity and a low serum cholesterol level; how a brain-deprived neurotropic factor and its cognate receptors may be involved; neuroimaging studies of brain neurochemistry; gene-environment interactions, including gene expression profiling and epigenetic changes associated with early-life environments; neurobiological characteristics in children with bipolar disorder, adolescents, and the elderly; personality traits; immune activation to Toxoplasma gondii infection and suicidal behavior; abnormalities in peripheral tissues as biomarkers; and the main alterations in neurobiological functions and medications for prevention. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
With recent studies using genetic, epigenetic, and other molecular and neurochemical approaches, a new era has begun in understanding pathophysiology of suicide. Emerging evidence suggests that neurobiological factors are not only critical in providing potential risk factors but also provide a promising approach to develop more effective treatment and prevention strategies. The Neurobiological Basis of Suicide discusses the most recent findings in suicide neurobiology.
Psychological, psychosocial, and cultural factors are important in determining the risk factors for suicide; however, they offer weak prediction and can be of little clinical use. Interestingly, cognitive characteristics are different among depressed suicidal and depressed nonsuicidal subjects, and could be involved in the development of suicidal behavior.
The characterization of the neurobiological basis of suicide is in delineating the risk factors associated with suicide. The Neurobiological Basis of Suicide focuses on how and why these neurobiological factors are crucial in the pathogenic mechanisms of suicidal behavior and how these findings can be transformed into potential therapeutic applications.
