14 DAY TRIAL // Episodes of severe depression more often than not go hand in hand with brain inflammation, scientists with the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada argue in a new paper in JAMA Psychiatry.
In this report, the researchers say that, having scanned the brain of 20 depression patients and 20 perfectly healthy individuals, they found noteworthy differences between these two groups.
Specifically, the specialists found the brain of the depression patients to display signs of higher rates of inflammation. What's more, the inflammation rates were found to be the highest among those struggling with severe depression.
“This finding provides the most compelling evidence to date of brain inflammation during a major depressive episode,” study leader Jeffrey Meyer commented on the outcome of this investigation.
“Previous studies have looked at markers of inflammation in blood, but this is the first definitive evidence found in the brain,” the Center for Addiction and Mental Health specialist added.
According to scientist Jeffrey Meyer and fellow researchers, chances are that this inflammation that affects the brain of depression patients contributes to symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite and low mood.
The specialists go on to argue that, if they are right and severe depression does, in fact, correlate with higher rates on inflammation in the brain, it might be possible to treat the former condition by addressing the latter.