hippocampal neurogenesis is inversely related to major depressive disorder (MDD). Neurogenesis is decreased in the hippocampus of animal models of major depressive disorder, and many treatments for the disorder, including antidepressant medication and electroconvulsive therapy, increase hippocampal neurogenesis. It has been theorized that decreased hippocampal neurogenesis in individuals with major depressive disorder may be related to the high levels of stress hormones called glucocorticoids, which are also associated with the disorder. The hippocampus instructs the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to produce fewer glucocorticoids when glucocorticoid levels are high. A malfunctioning hippocampus, therefore, might explain the chronically high glucocorticoid levels in individuals with major depressive disorder. However, some studies have indicated that hippocampal neurogenesis is not lower in individuals with major depressive disorder and that blood glucocorticoid levels do not change when hippocampal neurogenesis changes, so the associations are still uncertain. Stress and depression Many now believe stress to be the most significant factor for the onset of depression. As discussed above, hippocampal cells are sensitive to stress which can lead to decreased neurogenesis. This area is being considered more frequently when examining the causes and treatments of depression. Studies have shown that removing the adrenal gland in rats caused increased neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus. The adrenal gland is responsible for producing cortisol in response to a stressor, a substance that when produced in chronic amounts causes the down regulation of serotonin receptors and suppresses the birth of neurons. It was shown in the same study that administration of corticosterone to normal animals suppressed neurogenesis, the opposite effect. The most typical class of antidepressants administered for this disease are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and their efficacy may be explained by neurogenesis. In a normal brain, an increase in serotonin causes suppression of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) through connection to the hippocampus. It directly acts on the paraventricular nucleus to decrease CRH release and down regulate norepinephrine functioning in the locus coeruleus. Because CRH is being repressed, the decrease in neurogenesis that is associated with elevated levels of it is also being reversed. This allows for the production of more brain cells, in particular at the 5-HT1a receptor in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus which has been shown to improve symptoms of depression. It normally takes neurons approximately three to six weeks to mature, which is approximately the same amount of time it takes for SSRIs to take effect. This correlation