Neuronal actions of glucocorticoids: Focus on depression

Stress, acting through glucocorticoids (GC), has profound effects on brain physiology and pathology and is causally implicated in depressive illness. Here, we consider the information derived from genetic models generated to probe the role of the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis in depression. This essay also briefly reviews the status of knowledge regarding GC actions on neuronal birth, survival and death from the perspective of the importance of these phenomena in depression.