Published Paper Details:

Researchers worldwide, in the recent years have expanded our understanding of how, and the degree to which, the immune system interacts with the nervous system, and vice versa. The immune system is important for the protection of the body against injury and disease. In the past several decades, the association between stress and immune function has received considerable attention. By initiating changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the immune system, chronic stress acts as a trigger for anxiety and depression. Both experimental and clinical evidence shows that a rise in the concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoids, as occurs in chronically stressful situations and in depression, contribute to the behavioural changes associated with depression. Defects in serotonergic function are associated with hypercortisolemia and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with depression. Glucocorticoids and proinflammatory cytokines promote the conversion of tryptophan to kynurenine. In addition to the resulting reduction in brain serotonin synthesis, this leads to the formation of neurotoxins such as the glutamate agonist quinolinic acid, which contributes to increased astrocyte, oligodendroglial, and neuronal apoptosis. The importance of the inflammatory hypothesis of depression is that it raises the possibility that psychotropic drugs with central anti-inflammatory activity will become a new generation of antidepressants. Chronic stress-induced neuroendocrine and immune system dysregulation is associated with psychological and physiological disorders, including depression. Several recent clinical and preclinical evidences suggest that neuroinflammation is a key factor interacting with three neurobiological correlates of major depressive disorder: brain serotonin Deficiency, dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and alterations in the continued production of adult neurons generated in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. We are pleased to introduce a new overview series in this month's issue. Depression and their interaction as immune system dysfunction. An overview of how depression affects immune function is provided, and the literature evidence on various intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that may exacerbate or mitigate the health effects of depression is reviewed. Also, we have introduced new medications for depression and improvements in brain stimulation as a future treatment.