Thursday, June 11, 2020

Study shows fish oil may help with depression



A study published in Molecular Psychiatryshows that patient-derived adult stem cells can be used to model major depressive disorder and test how a patient may respond to medication.
Using stem cells from adults with a clinical diagnosis of depression, the  researchers who conducted the study also found that fish oil, when tested in the model, created an antidepressant response.
The research provides a number of novel findings that can help scientists better understand how the brain works and why some people respond to drug treatment for depression, while others experience limited benefits from antidepressant medication.
Major depressive disorder, or depression, is the most common psychiatric disorder. Around one in six individuals will experience at least one depressive episode in their lifetime. However, antidepressant treatment fails in about one-third of patients.
In the study, researchers used skin cells from adults with depression that were converted into stem cells at Massachusetts General Hospital and then directed those stem cells to develop into nerve cells. The skin biopsies were taken from two types of patients: people who previously responded to antidepressant treatment and people who have previously been resistant to antidepressants.
When fish oil was tested, the models from treatment-sensitive and treatment-resistant patients both responded.
The response was similar to that seen from prescription antidepressants, but it was produced through a different mechanism. The fish oil was acting, in part, on glial cells, not neurons. The study suggests that glia may also be important for antidepressant action.

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