A neuroanatomic model for depression

1. Emotion and mood, once thought to be governed solely by the limbic syste m of the brain, now are thought to be influenced by numerous nonlimbic cent ral nervous system structures as well. 2. The present review discusses several important brain structures and neur oanatomic pathways thought to be involved in affect and mood disorders, inc luding the amygdala, frontal neocortex, cingulate gyrus, basal ganglia, and the monoamine systems. 3. The authors propose a specific neuroanatomic model for depression that e mphasizes that a distributed system of extensively interconnected CNS struc tures mediates emotion and affect.