Ask Dr. Nick
On today’s episode, Dr. Nick talks about the new theory of depression. In the past, the mainstream theory was the “monoamine-depletion hypothesis” which meant there was a decrease in specific neurotransmitters (signaling molecules in the brain and gut) that caused depression. This led to the prescription of many medications we see today like tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, due to a lack of effective treatment and new evidence, the “inflammatory hypothesis” is proposed, which suggests that depression may be caused by chronic neuroinflammation. This chronic inflammation disrupts brain circuits and decreases these neurotransmitters leading to the symptoms of depression. This may mean that there are other, possibly more effective, treatment options for depression, major depressive disorder, and depression relapse. Check out the video for more in-depth information on how chronic inflammation can lead to depression and what you can do about it!
Reference: Liu C-H, Zhang G-Z, Li B, Li M, Woelfer M, Walter M, and Wang L. Role of inflammation in depression relapse. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 2019; 16:90. doi: 10.1186/s12974-019-1475-7
