A recent study found that depression may be linked to how brain cells produce and manage energy.
The study conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of Minnesota studied 18 people from the ages of 18-25 who had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder by using brain scans and blood samples.
They discovered that certain cells in people with depression produced energy at a higher rate than those without the condition.
This study was centered around the adenosine triphosphate molecule, which acts as the main source of energy in cells. The researchers found a higher production rate in the visual cortex of participants with depression.
Roger Varela, a postdoctoral fellow and researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute, found that more energy molecules were produced in cells of people with depression. At this intensity, the person fails to handle this increase in energy production under stress.
This shows that the cells were overworked in the early stages of the illness.
The study also focused on blood cells known as peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The PBMC cells showed higher levels of ATP at rest in people with depression.
At the same time, these individuals’ bodies struggled to increase energy production when more was needed.
This may help explain why our mitochondria causes us to exhibit symptoms like gloomy mood, low motivation and slower thinking.
Researchers believe this explains why cells were more active than normal in the early stages of depression, reducing the ability of the cells to respond to additional demands. As time passes, this imbalance in energy may contribute to the frequent sluggishness often reported by people with depression.
The team used the P MSRI-based imaging technique, which allowed them to measure energy-related chemicals and track how quickly ATP was produced in the brain.
This technology provided a more detailed view of how energy systems function in people with depression.
Susannah Tye, principal research fellow at the Queensland Institute, said that fatigue remained one of the most difficult symptoms of depression to treat and could take years to manage effectively.
This could explain why current treatments do not always address the symptom.
This new finding could help reduce the stigma against people suffering from depression.
According to Varela, it shows that multiple changes occur in the body and that depression impacts energy at a cellular level.
This means that depression’s impact is not only through thoughts and emotions.
The study demonstrates that depression is not the same for everyone and that it varies based on a patient’s biology and how cells in the person manage energy.
These findings could advance neuroscientific research, leading to new approaches for treating depression by targeting how cells produce and use energy.
