The antidepressant activity of anticytokines: a novel therapeutic target?

A systematic review and meta-analysis performed by researchers led by Golam Khandaker (University of Cambridge, UK) has demonstrated that anti-inflammatory drugs could assist in the treatment of the symptoms of depression. Previous work from the group indicated that elevated everyday levels of inflammatory markers in children were associated with an enhanced risk of depression and psychosis development in adulthood. These results highlighted a potential role of the immune system in mental illness. In the current study, published recently in Molecular Psychiatry, the team analyzed the results of seven randomized controlled clinical trials involving the use of anti-cytokine drugs for the...