Do certain signal transduction mechanisms explain the comorbidity of epilepsy and mood disorders?

•Epilepsy and mood disorders share some mechanisms at the receptor level.•Signal transduction mechanisms may explain the coexistence of epilepsy and mood disorders•Receptor-receptor interactions could be common pathophysiological mechanisms for epilepsy and mood disorders.

It is well known that mood disorders are highly prevalent in patients with epilepsy. Although several studies have aimed to characterize alterations in different types of receptors associated with both disturbances, there is a lack of studies focused on identifying the causes of this comorbidity. Here, we described some changes at the biochemical level involving serotonin, dopamine, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors as well as signal transduction mechanisms that may explain the coexistence of both epilepsy and mood disorders. Finally, the identification of common pathophysiological mechanisms associated with receptor-receptor interaction (heterodimers) could allow designing new strategies for treatment of patients with epilepsy and comorbid mood disorders.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “NEWroscience 2013”.