https://goo.gl/VAJ7li
Increasingly, researchers have suggested that the immune system and inflammation may also play a role in mental health. In 2014, for example, a study from Dr. Khandaker and team found that children with higher levels of cytokines and other "inflammatory markers" were at greater risk of depression and psychosis in later life.
In clinical trials, two new classes of anti-inflammatory drugs - anti-cytokine monoclonal antibodies and cytokine inhibitors - have been shown to reduce inflammation in a range of autoimmune diseases, and these drugs have already started to be administered to patients who do not respond to standard treatments.
Given the potential link between inflammation and depression, Dr. Khandaker and colleagues set out to investigate whether these drugs might also help alleviate symptoms of depression.
"About a third of patients who are resistant to antidepressants show evidence of inflammation," notes Dr. Khandaker. "So, anti-inflammatory treatments could be relevant for a large number of people who suffer from depression."