Neural predictors of depression symptom course

• Animal models and human neuroimaging provide insight into the course of depression.
• Hippocampal neurogenesis may be core to symptom amelioration in depression.
• Aberrant prefrontal and limbic interactions are core to depression course.

Depression is a debilitating illness causing significant societal and personal suffering. Improvements in depression identification and treatment are essential to reduce its toll. Recent developments in rodent models of depression and neuroimaging of humans suffering from the illness provide avenues through which gains can be made toward reducing its burden. In this review, new findings, integrating across rodent models and human imaging are highlighted that have yielded new insights toward a basic understanding of the illness and provide possibilities for improved identification and treatment — hopefully reducing the duration of depression episodes across the population.