Inflammation and its discontents: the role of cytokines in the pathophysiology of major depression.

ABSTRACT: Recognition that inflammation may represent a common mechanism of disease has been extended to include neuropsychiatric disorders including major depression. Patients with major depression have been found to exhibit increased peripheral blood inflammatory biomarkers, including inflammatory cytokines, which have been shown to access the brain and interact with virtually every pathophysiologic domain known to be involved in depression, including neurotransmitter metabolism, neuroendocrine function, and neural plasticity. Indeed, activation of inflammatory pathways within the brain is believed to contribute to a confluence of decreased neurotrophic support and altered glutamate release/reuptake, as well as oxidative stress, leading to excitotoxicity and loss of glial elements, consistent with

SUBMITTER: Miller AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2680424 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature