HIPPOCAMPAL MICRORNA IN THE MECHANISMS OF INDUCTION OF DEPRESSIVE-LIKE BEHAVIOR BY STRESSOR EFFECTS

The pathogenesis of depressive disorders is associated with an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain, endocrine disturbances, pro-inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes, so it is not surprising that therapy with classical antidepressants aimed at some individual systems is often ineffective, and, moreover, can cause unwanted side effects. The need to search for new mechanisms of pathology with the aim of their possible use as potential targets in the development of more effective therapeutic agents has drawn attention to small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs). These microRNAs, which regulate the expression of target genes at the post-transcriptional level, are involved in the central nervous system in the control of neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity, as well as in the mechanisms of sensitivity and resistance to stress effects – generally accepted risk factors for depression. This review is devoted to the systematization of the results obtained in rodents on microRNAs and signaling pathways of their participation in provoking a depressive-like state by chronic stress through the regulation of neuroinflammation, neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity and apoptosis in the hippocampus. The results of the analysis expand the understanding of the complex regulatory network involved in the initiation and maintenance of this psychoemotional disorder, which can contribute to the development of adequate therapeutic agents aimed at combating the disease.