Depression: A repair response to stress-induced neuronal microdamage that can grade into a chronic neuroinflammatory condition?

▶ Hypothesis: Depression is triggered by stress-induced brain injury. ▶ The injury repair response has neuroinflammatory and neuroregenerative phases. ▶ Released inflammatory mediators elicit sickness behavior and psychological pain. ▶ Neurotrophin- and neurogenesis- mediated regeneration normally resolves the injury. ▶ However, both neuroinflammation and psychological pain are prone to chronicity.