Broadening our horizons: Gene expression profiling to help better understand the neurobiology of suicide and depression

The complexity of the neurobiological alterations underlying major depression and suicide is significant. Gene expression studies using high-throughput genomic technologies have provided important insight into novel genes and pathways displaying alterations associated with major depression and suicide, thereby providing a global view of the pathological changes taking place, as well as indicating potential new targets for therapeutic interventions. This review discusses the methodologies which have been used to profile gene expression patterns in depression and suicide, as well as examines several of the metabolic pathways which have been frequently implicated by studies using this approach. Future directions to be taken towards increasing our understanding of the origin and downstream effects of altered gene expression are also discussed.