A new way to treat depression may be on the horizon.
A growing body of research points to an unlikely cause of the affliction — inflammation — that could lead to more targeted solutions for those suffering from the disorder, the Washington Post reported.
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to illness or injury. The body signals the immune system to dispatch inflammatory cells to fight disease or help heal.
However, if the cells are sent when the body doesn’t actually need them, this may spur chronic inflammation, which is known to be a symptom of several diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
An inflammatory response within the brain — called neuroinflammation — may change neural circuits, and may be causing, or intensifying depression. The research suggests that around 30% of depressed patients have elevated inflammation.
How depression, which is said to affect nearly one in 10 Americans, manifests varies from person to person.
“It’s not that depression is sort of this generic disorder that is the same for all people,” Andrew Miller, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine, told the Washington Post. “It’s quite different depending on who it is and what they’re experiencing.”
Antidepressants are commonly prescribed, but according to the publication, only 30% of patients on them are able to beat depression.
A controversial study from University College London last year cast doubt on the efficacy of antidepressants.
For the group of depressed patients that have elevated inflammation, this information may help to create a personalized treatment, such as taking anti-inflammatory drugs.
“We’ve come to the tipping point,” Miller said. “And we know enough at this point to begin to target the immune system and its downstream effects on the brain to treat depression. We are there.”