That's why you get depressed when you have a cold
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Loading... - Kevin Bailey
- 07 Sep 2022
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Being depressed when you have inflammation in your body is a real phenomenon.
The culprit in the drama? A cell called microglia.
With a cold or other inflammation in the body, many people feel discomfort and may even become depressed. A feeling of wanting to pull away is also very common when we have a cold. A research team in Linköping has found a possible explanation for the phenomenon.
Surprising results
In case of inflammation in the body, many processes start in several different types of cells. The cells of the immune system cannot affect the brain and are therefore not responsible for the depression. However, the brain has its own immune cell, microglia, and it seems to be when it is activated that you feel depressed.
- It was a little surprising that it is precisely microglia that send out these molecules that are important for feelings of discomfort, says David Engblom, professor at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University to forskning.se
To obtain their results, the researchers tested activating microglial cells in mice. The mice were in a certain environment when the cells were activated. They then avoided that environment, which the researchers interpreted as not liking the experience. The mice also became less interested in sugar solution when the cell was activated, something they otherwise love.
- Our findings show that activation of microglia is sufficient to create depression and feelings of discomfort in mice. It is close to hand to think that it is in a similar way in several diseases in humans, explains David Engblom. Read More…
