New study reveals potential mechanism for treating depression

New research into the functioning of an important hormone could open the door for a potential new strategy for the treatment of depression.

A team from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has identified a major mechanism by which ghrelin – a hormone with natural antidepressant properties – works inside the brain.

This hormone has several widely-known functions, including the ability to stimulate the appetite, but it is also able to combat depression when its levels rise as a result of caloric restriction or prolonged psychological stress.

Utilising a neuroprotective drug known as P7C3, the team was able to increase this effect even further, resulting in a potentially beneficial therapeutic effect.

Dr Jeffrey Zigman, associate professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at UT Southwestern and co-senior author of the study, said: "By investigating the way the so-called hunger hormone ghrelin works to limit the extent of depression following long-term exposure to stress, we discovered what could become a brand new class of antidepressant drugs."

New therapies for depression are in strong demand due to how common the condition can be. It affects around one in ten people in the UK at some point in their lives.