Introduction

Depression is considered as a complex problem with potentially serious economic consequences for affected individuals as well as public healthcare systems. There is much debate among laypersons, patients, academics and clinicians about the causes of depression, its clinical significance and the effect of conventional medical interventions such as antidepressants. This monograph showcases some aspects of depression through specific reviews on some of the intricacies behind its mechanism. The book includes five reviews on the subject, covering the significance of depression in patient well-being, an update on P300 wave findings and the link with clinical depression, the genomics behind depression, the effects of ageing on the onset of depression in stroke patients, and tensor imaging techniques used in studies on patients exhibiting suicidal behaviors as a result of major depressive disorder.

This reference provides useful updates for healthcare workers, neuroscientists and behavioral scientists interested in basic research on depression and in planning to develop methods to study depression in either a clinical or laboratory setting.