Depression Treatment
The brain, the unknown. How is an arrangement of atoms, which are similar to a tree, a kidney, a kitten or the computer where I write these lines, may be able to think, to withhold information or to have emotions? Broad issue. As often in this area is by studying the failures of the machine that captures its workings.
This arrangement of atoms leads, from 121 million people worldwide, a disease characterized by “loss of interest and pleasure, feelings of guilt, loss of self-esteem, disturbed sleep, a drop in form and concentration. ” Thus the World Health Organization describes depression.
Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne in Switzerland, became interested in a protein located in the hippocampus, the MIF to macrophage migration inhibitory factor. According to their research published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, inhibition of this protein causes “an increase in anxiety and depressive states.
Contrary to what is often said and written, the neurons are renewed in part, notably in the hippocampus. It speaks of neurogenesis. Previous research had shown that there was a link between neurogenesis and depression. Scientists from the Lausanne show “for the first time” that MIF was present in quantity in the stem cells of the hippocampus and there was a link between this protein and neurogenesis.
To prove it, researchers have inflicted a series of tests in rats genetically or chemically modified not to produce MIF protein. In rodent studies, the absence of this protein induced a slowdown in production of new neurons and thus an increase in anxiety and depressive behavior. [How do you recognize a rat depressed? The issue will be a future article on this blog ... To keep things simple, rapid and succinct, rodents respond differently to stressful situations.]
Indeed, these studies have shown that these mutant rats responded less well to anti-depressants, in this case of fluoxetine, better known under the name of Prozac. In the absence of MIF protein, the molecules of fluoxetine more difficult to relaunch the process of creating new neurons.
Far from being only theoretical, these results could provide, ultimately, profits on the treatment of depression, as noted by the researchers concluded in their report:
“This finding indicates that MIF is potentially significant for the treatment of deficits in the genesis of neurons, as well as problems related to anxiety, depression or cognition.