Researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's (CAMH) Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, used positron emission tomography (PET) to scan the brains of 20 patients with depression and 20 healthy control participants.
In particular, the team closely measured the activation of microglia - immune cells that play a key role in the brain's inflammatory response
The PET scans showed significant inflammation in the brains of the people with depression, and the inflammation was most severe among the participants with the most severe depression. The brains of people who were experiencing clinical depression exhibited an inflammatory increase of 30%.
Previous studies have examined markers of inflammation in the blood of depressed people, in an attempt to solve the "chicken or egg" debate of whether inflammation is a consequence of or contributor to major depression.
In particular, the team closely measured the activation of microglia - immune cells that play a key role in the brain's inflammatory response
The PET scans showed significant inflammation in the brains of the people with depression, and the inflammation was most severe among the participants with the most severe depression. The brains of people who were experiencing clinical depression exhibited an inflammatory increase of 30%.
Previous studies have examined markers of inflammation in the blood of depressed people, in an attempt to solve the "chicken or egg" debate of whether inflammation is a consequence of or contributor to major depression.
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