Other physiological effects of depression include an increase in cortisol production, leading to the disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and impaired mitochondrial ATP production, possibly causing diminished neurogenesis and dysfunctional neuronal plasticity [13]. Here, BDNF is linked to depressive symptom measurement.