Depression and Inflammation

A new study by Raz Yirmiya (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39197544/), described in a recent  Newsweek article by Thomas Westerholm (in Apple News) states that “Inflammation could play a role in the development and progression of depression.”

Westerholm tells us that “Inflammation plays a major role in how depression develops and affects people," and that the cytokines released when we are infected or dealing with stress help the immune system, but negatively impact the brain with depression systems like fatigue, feeling hopeless or sad, and loss of interest in things previously enjoyed. He also notes that inflammation can “disrupt important brain functions” and “change how different parts of your brain communicate, especially areas that control emotions and decision-making.”

The bottom line for Westerholm is that the changes associated with inflammation “might explain why people with higher levels of inflammation are more likely to experience depression, particularly after events like illness, chronic stress or trauma."

If inflammation and depression are tied together, and we know that microdosing reduces inflammation, then this may be part of the reason that so many people who are microdosing report relief from depression.

—Jim and Jordan (11.17.24)