BACKGROUND: According to the neurotrophin hypothesis of depression, decreased activity
of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) contributes to behavioral and plasticity-related
alterations in depressed patients. We investigated the hypothesis that mice with a forebrain-
specific knockout of the trkB receptor, the main mediator of BDNF signaling, represent a
genetic animal model for depression. METHODS: Using the CRE-loxP system, we bred
trkBCaMKII-CRE mice with a trkB-receptor disruption in the forebrain. We subjected trkB …