BDNF and depressive disorder: Conversely, increased levels of brain magnesium have been shown to enhance (a) the retention of the extinction of fear memory, through increased NMDA signaling, (b) the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and (c) synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC); notably, these effects were absent in another region closely linked to depression pathogenesis, such as the basolateral amygdala [42].