A unexpected way to treat depression has been found

Researchers from the University of Bristol have found that suppressing inflammation may alleviate symptoms of treatment-resistant depression. In a small clinical trial, patients reported reduced anxiety, fatigue, and severity of depressive symptoms following therapy. The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

One in three people with depression shows virtually no response to standard antidepressants that target serotonin and other neurotransmitter levels. In recent years, scientists have been increasingly searching for answers in a different direction — chronic inflammation, which, as it turns out, may underlie a significant proportion of cases of the disorder.

Previous studies have shown that approximately one-third of patients with depression have notably elevated inflammatory markers in their blood. Of particular interest is interleukin-6 — an immune system signaling molecule that plays a key role in inflammatory responses and is increasingly associated with depressive disorders.

The authors of the new study set out to test whether blocking this specific pathway could reduce symptoms of the disease. For the experiment, they chose tocilizumab — an immunological drug well established in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The study involved 30 adult patients with moderate or severe depression who had not responded to standard antidepressant treatment. An important selection criterion was that all volunteers exhibited signs of chronic inflammation, specifically elevated levels of C-reactive protein in the blood.

Half of the participants received a single intravenous dose of tocilizumab, while the other half received a placebo. Over the course of four weeks, the researchers carefully monitored changes in the patients' condition.

Although the scale of the study does not yet allow for definitive statistical conclusions, the results proved encouraging. A consistent trend toward improvement was recorded in the tocilizumab group: patients reported reduced fatigue, improved concentration and appetite, as well as diminished feelings of worthlessness and inner tension. By the end of the fourth week, approximately 54% of participants receiving the drug had achieved remission, compared to only 31% in the placebo group.

Notably, the most pronounced effect was observed in patients whose C-reactive protein levels had been particularly high before the start of treatment.

The authors of the study are convinced that the findings support the concept of "personalized psychiatry" — an approach in which treatment is selected based on the biological characteristics of the individual patient, rather than solely on clinical symptoms.