Photo: flickr
More than thirty percent of all depression sufferers could be suffering from a new type of depression, which scientists have termed high inflammation depression. Correspondingly, approximately one third of people who experience major depression have high levels of inflammation markers in their bloodstream.
In fact, some of the worst symptoms of depression can perhaps be explained through persistent inflammation. Anhedonia, in particular, can be highly linked to inflammation. It is defined as the inability to feel pleasure, as those who are depressed often find it a struggle to experience pleasure while engaging in activities that should be pleasurable, including eating or spending quality time with loved ones.
Even patients who are on anti-depressants find it hard to rid themselves of their anhedonia. The research team led by Dr Felger collected brain scans of people who were clinically depressed, and discovered that those with high levels of inflammation in their brains also showed lower levels of communication in regions of the brain that are responsible for motivation and our responses to reward. Reduced activation of these areas of the brain has also been detected in those who are undergoing immuno-stimulatory treatments for cancer or the hepatitis C virus. This suggests that they may also be sensitive to inflammation, and on a broader scale, suggests that inflammation in the brain can be a sign of not only depression, but other diseases as well.
To treat high inflammation depression, L-DOPA (otherwise known as Levodopa) can be taken, as it may increase the neural connections between reward centres in the brain. Infliximab, an anti-inflammatory antibody, is an alternative.
Ultimately, this new piece of research could potentially uncover the root cause of some cases of depression, and thus lead to new treatments for treating high inflammation depression.
Category(s):Depression
Source material from PsyBlog
