Brain Inflammation can Reveal Clinical Depression in Adults

Canadian researchers have shown links between clinical depression and brain inflammation which can pave the way for targeted treatments.

"This finding provides the most compelling evidence to date of brain inflammation during a major depressive episode. Previous studies have looked at markers of inflammation in blood, but this is the first definitive evidence found in the brain," said senior author Jeffrey Meyer at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, in a news release.

According to Fox News, the study involved comparison of PET scans of 20 healthy subjects and 20 subjects diagnosed with depression. The scans showed a 30 percent increase in brain inflammation in depressed subjects. Nearly 1 in 10 US adults suffers from clinical depression, CDC estimates.

"This discovery has important implications for developing new treatments for a significant group of people who suffer from depression. It provides a potential new target to either reverse the brain inflammation or shift to a more positive repair role, with the idea that it would alleviate symptoms," Dr. Mayer said. Researchers also noted that inflammation was tied to symptoms of depression including sleep problems, low moods and loss of appetite.

Brain inflammation is an immune system response but too much of it can be detrimental, researchers noted. The researchers arrived at their findings by measuring activity of immune cells in the brain called microglia.

The findings of the study were published in JAMA Psychiatry.