VEGF is a potent mitogen and survival factor for endothelial cells and neurons, and additionally modulates synaptic transmission in the adult hippocampus and subventricular zone (Fabel et al., 2003; McCloskey et al., 2005), neuroprotection (Feng et al., 2011), and hippocampal neurogenesis (Fournier and Duman, 2012), consistent with a potential role in MDD. Here, VEGFA is linked to major depressive disorder.