Abstract: Clinical studies indicate early traumatic experiences are high risk factors in the development of depression in adulthood. The pathways that mediate the long-term effects of early-life stress on pathophysiology of depression are still unclear. This article reviewed laboratory animal studies in which the early-life stress models and the stress-induced chronic behavioral and neurobiological changes associated with depression were examined. It is concluded that early-life stress influenced behavior implicated in motivation for reward and stress coping, but it didn’t influence intrinsic behavior. These findings further demonstrated that early-life stress affected the development of depression by increasing individual predisposition to depression

Key words: early-life stress, depression, behavior, neuroendocrine