Depression due to inflammation in the brain

Inflammation in the brain in patients with depression

01/29/2015

Inflammatory processes in the brain seem to play a significant role in the development of depression. Scientists at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and the University of Toronto have now published in the journal „JAMA Psychiatry“ presented a study showing that in patients with depression in the brain, inflammation occurs, the intensity of which correlates with the extent of depression.

The research team around Elaine Setiawan and Jeffrey Meyer has in the current study the so-called „neuroinflammatory hypothesis“ reviewed that the brain inflammatory process has a significant impact on the development of depression. The conclusion suggests that, firstly, in humans and animals, the activation of the immune system in the course of illnesses can lead to behaviors that are comparable to those during a depressive episode (for example, depression, joylessness, loss of appetite and weight loss), the researchers report. Second, "depression often causes peripheral inflammatory markers, and third, neuroinflammatory diseases are often associated with marked depressive episodes." So far, however, "the evidence for the inflammation in the brain was missing".

Convincing evidence of brain inflammation
In the study, researchers examined the brain of twenty patients with major depression and twenty healthy controls using positron emission tomography (PET). The depressive study participants had previously taken at least six weeks no medication and all subjects were otherwise healthy and non-smoking, explain Setiawan and Meyer. The PET investigation is state-of-the-art „convincing evidence of brain inflammation and, in particular, inflammatory activation of microglia in major depression“ delivered, the researchers report.

Improvement of treatment
According to study author Jeffrey Meyer, the inflammation or sustained activation of the immune system may also be responsible for the limited effect of antidepressants and, at the same time, medications that reduce inflammatory microglial activation may significantly improve the treatment of depression in the future. (Fp)