Mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder affect one in four people in their lifetime, but the biological mechanisms behind them are still not fully understood. Now, researchers at the University of Bristol have found evidence that the immune system may play a causal role in these diseases, potentially opening the door to new treatments.
The study, led by Christina Dardani and Golam Khandaker of the MRC Integrated Epidemiology Unit at Bristol, used Mendelian Randomization, a technology that leverages genetic data to explore the seven major mental health conditions involved in seven major mental health conditions: depression, depression, anxiety, anxiety, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disease, bipolar disease, bipolar disease, Alzheimersis, automation and automation.
They analyzed 735 immune-related proteins found in the blood and found that 29 may have a causal role in these diseases. Of these, 20 are already targets for approved drugs for other diseases, which increases the possibility of repurposing mental health usage methods for existing treatments.
Current treatments for diseases such as depression and schizophrenia are often focused on brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. But because one-third of patients did not respond to these treatments, the researchers believe other factors must play a role.
