Researchers at Emory University near Atlanta have found that a drug called levodopa, used for Parkinson’s disease, can help fight depressive disorders.
As numerous studies show, inflammation in the brain associated with neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson’s disease) can cause a decrease in dopamine release. It is a very important chemical neurotransmitter that regulates motivation and motor activity. It has now been established that levodopa eliminates the effects of neuritis by increasing the level of dopamine in the brain. Thus, it relieves the symptoms associated with depression.
Depression Research
An Emory University study published in Molecular Psychiatry showed that levodopa alters the effect of inflammation on the brain’s functional reward circuitry and reduces anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure) in people with depression. This occurs in response to inflammation in patients with higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which is produced in the liver.
The study included 40 depressed patients who received either levodopa or placebo at random. They then underwent functional brain scans during two visits. Their CRP levels ranged from high to low. It turned out that a drug used in Parkinson’s disease increased functional connectivity in reward circuits in patients with higher CRP, reducing the feeling of anhedonia.
According to Jennifer S. Felger, Ph.D. D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory Medical School, the results provide further evidence that “functional connectivity in reward circuitry may serve as a reliable brain biomarker for the effects of inflammation.” They are also important for future research into precise treatments for severely inflammatory psychiatric patients.
“In addition, since the effect of levodopa was specific to depressed patients with higher levels of inflammation, this functional association could be used to assess brain response to novel therapies that could be targeted to this subtype of depressed patients in future studies and clinical trials.” . she added prof. Felger. The exact results of the study are available online.
Source: Wprost
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