Abstract
Modern views on the cause of mood and anxiety disorders suggest that the neural activities of specific brain circuits are altered in response to external stimuli, such as stress, as a result of maladaptive molecular and cellular changes. Neuronal activity regulates a complex program of gene expression that is involved in the structural and functional plasticity of the brain. It should be noted that calcium signaling in neurons contributes to many biological functions including synaptic plasticity, gene transcription, neural development/maturation, and neurotransmission. Increasing evidence have indicated that aberrant calcium signaling within a specific brain structure is one of the key components in the pathophysiology of depression and anxiety disorder. Here, I describe some of recent findings suggesting an important role of calcium‐binding proteins and related molecules in the development of stress‐related psychiatric disorders.
