@PHDTHESIS{ 2018:441210413,
 	title = {The two sides of the coin ff psychosocial stress : evaluation by positron emission tomography},
 	year = {2018},
 	url = "http://tede2.pucrs.br/tede2/handle/tede/9028",
 	abstract = "Life expectancy has undoubtedly increased over the past 200 years. Predictions for the year of 2030 indicate that approximately 20% of the population will be over 65 years old. In this context, it is important to understand risk factors that may affect the quality of life of the elderly, such as neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects approximately 350 million people worldwide, being the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disease in the elderly. Stress is a known risk factor for MDD development. During aging there is a gradual reduction of the adaptive capacity for stress recovery (resilience). Individual differences in the aging process can be conceptualized as the accumulation of daily stress and also major life stressors, which interact with the genetic constitution and possible presence of adversity during childhood and adolescence. Despite considerable efforts, the complete pathophysiological mechanisms involved in depression remains unknown. A recent hypothesis implies neuroinflammation as an important contributor to MDD. Therefore, an in-depth investigation of the biological interplay between stress and neuroinflammation may be useful in providing a better understanding of the disease. In the present study, it was observed that the
 activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary system in response to the social defeat animal
 model is capable of inducing neuro(inflammation) and depressive-like symptoms in
 rodents. Additionally, we demonstrated in the same animal model that exposure to
 adverse events during adolescence significantly impacts behavioral and neuroinflammatory response to recurrent stress later in life. Furthermore, repeated exposure to winning confrontations of the residents in the social defeat model may alter dopaminergic brain receptors, suggesting a possible habit-forming effect that increases aggressive and violent behavior in subjects. In the present thesis, we have used positron emission tomography (PET) as a non-invasive functional imaging technique in order to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in MDD and aggression. Since the same investigational methodology can be applied to humans, PET can provide important information related to brain alterations in depressive and aggressive patients, contributing for personalized diagnosis and therapy.",
 	publisher = {Pontif?cia Universidade Cat?lica do Rio Grande do Sul},
 	scholl = {Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Gerontologia Biom?dica},
 	note = {Escola de Medicina}
}