Brain inflammation may cause depression in MS patients, reveals study

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: A new study has shown that patients suffering with multiple sclerosis have higher chances of depression as a result of inflammation in the brain region.

MS is a progressive neurological disorder, which attacks the spinal cord and brain as well as can lead to disability and death.

The findings suggested that depression in MS patients was found associated more generally with elevated inflammatory markers and hippocampal pathology, the researchers said. 

An inflammation of the hippocampus, a region of the brain implicated in the genesis and maintenance of depression was found to alter its function and contribute to the symptoms of depression.

"We also discovered that more inflammation was associated to more severe symptoms of depression," said lead author Alessandro Colasanti from King's College London.

(With IANS inputs)