Research on the rare post -mortem brain fabric show changes in gene activity, offering new information on the biological basis of depression.
Researchers from McGill University and the Douglas Institute have discovered two distinct types of brain cells that have alterations in people with depression.
Their study, published in Nature geneticsopens the way to potential treatments that directly target these cells while progressing scientific understanding of depression, a major global health challenge affecting more than 264 million people.
“This is the first time that we have been able to identify the specific types of brain cells affected in depression by mapping the activity of genes with mechanisms that regulate DNA Code, “said the main author, Dr. Gustavo Turecki, professor at McGill, clinician-scientist of the Douglas Institute and the Canada Research Chair in a major depressive disorder and suicide.” It gives us a much clearer image of the place where disturbances occur and which cells are involved. »»
Rare brain bank allows breakthrough
The team examined the post-dead brain tissue from the Brain Bank of Douglas-Bell Canada, one of the rare world resources containing given samples of individuals with psychiatric conditions.
Using unicellular genomic methods, they analyzed RNA And the DNA of thousands of brain cells to determine which types of cells worked differently in depression and which DNA sequences could explain these changes. Their analysis included samples of 59 people with depression and 41 without condition.
Cerebral cell keys related to depression
The results have revealed an alteration of gene activity in a certain type of excitatory neurons involved in mood regulation and stress, and in a subtype of microglia cells, which help manage inflammation. In both types of cells, many genes worked differently in people with depression, suggesting potential disturbances in these key brain systems.
By identifying brain cells affected in depression, the study adds new information on its biological basis and, more broadly, defies persistent ideas on disorder.
“This research strengthens what neuroscience has been telling us for years,” said Turecki. “Depression is not only emotional, it reflects real and measurable changes in the brain.”
In a next step, researchers plan to study how these cellular changes affect brain function and if targeting could lead to better therapies.
Reference: “The accessibility profiling of mono-nucleus chromatin identifies the types of cells and functional variants contribute to major depression” by Anjali Chawla, Doruk Cakmakci, Laura M. Fiori, Wenmin Zang Yerko, Deborah Mash, Kiran Girdhar, Schahram Akbarian, Naguib Mechawar, Matthew Suderman, Yue Li, Corina Nagy and Gustavo Tureck Nature genetics.
Two: 10.1038 / S41588-025-02249-4
The study was funded by Canadian Health Research Institutes, Brain Canada Foundation, Quebec Research Fund – Health and Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives Initiative at McGill University.
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