How Concussion May Lead to Depression Years Later

Researchers have found that those who have experienced multiple concussions as young adults may experience depressive symptoms later, as a result of inflammation triggered by magnified immune responses in the brain. Additionally, because the depression results from inflammation, these patients may not respond to antidepressants. The findings of this animal study were recently published online in Biological Psychiatry. Said lead author Jonathan Godbout, associate professor of neuroscience at The Ohio State University: “The young adult mice that have a diffuse head injury basically recover to normal, but not everything is normal. The brain still has a more inflammatory makeup that is permissive to hyperactivation of an immune response.” Click here to read the full article.