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Inflammatory mechanisms in major depressive disorder
1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. thomas.raedler@albertahealthservices.ca
Current Opinion in Psychiatry
|September 8, 2011
Summary
Inflammation plays a key role in major depressive disorder (MDD), impacting sickness behavior and cytokine levels. Antidepressant treatments may normalize these inflammatory markers, suggesting new therapeutic avenues for depression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Immunology
Background:
- The monoamine hypothesis inadequately explains major depression.
- Growing evidence implicates inflammatory mechanisms in major depressive disorder (MDD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of inflammatory mechanisms in the pathophysiology of major depression.
- To explore the connection between inflammation and sickness behavior.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature on inflammation and depression.
- Analysis of studies measuring cytokine levels in patients with major depression.
Main Results:
- Inflammatory mechanisms are crucial in major depression, sharing similarities with sickness behavior.
- Elevated proinflammatory cytokines are found in plasma, CSF, and postmortem studies of MDD patients.
- Cytokine levels remain elevated post-remission, predict onset, and normalize with antidepressant treatment.
- Inflammation affects tryptophan metabolism, and NSAIDs may interact with antidepressants.
Conclusions:
- Further research is essential to fully elucidate the role of inflammation in major depression.
- Investigating inflammatory mechanisms may reveal novel therapeutic strategies for depression.
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