Research Reveals More Interesting Link Between Serotonin and Depression

(Newswire.net — September 17, 2021) Orlando, FL — Various studies have been carried out to look into the different aspects of depression, which affects hundreds of millions of people today.

A study was carried out at Karolinska Instituet and published in the Translational Psychiatry journal.

The findings have shown that reduced serotonin levels in the brain are seen as a potential cause of depression. Further, in this research, it has been found that many antidepressants actually act by blocking a certain protein transporting serotonin away from the nerve cells. 

It is worth noting that this neurotransmitter called serotonin affects mood and emotion, amongst other things. 

This brain imaging study has particularly shown that there was an increase in the average level of the serotonin transporter in a group of 17 individuals who were able to recover from depression after cognitive behavioral therapy. 

“Our results suggest that changes to the serotonin system are part of the biology of depression and that this change is related to the episode rather than a static feature — a state rather than a trait,” says the study’s last author Johan Lundberg.

Lundberg is a researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. 

“The finding raises many questions about the function of the serotonin system in depression and opens up for lines of research that could challenge the prevailing concept of serotonin and depression,” Lundberg adds.

Serotonin has a transporter protein called 5-HTT that plays a critical role in depression. This is due to the fact that it actually pumps serotonin away from the cerebral neuron synapses, and this regulates the amount of active serotonin in the brain.

It is important to stress that there are many modern antidepressant medications that work in inhibiting this transporter, which enhances the concentration of serotonin in the synapses.

Over the years, there have been many studies that looked into the various aspects of depression. There have even been studies highlighting the depression-fighting potentials of certain foods, especially those containing B vitamins.

B vitamins have long been a popular subject of research due to their strong medicinal benefits. Their use has been associated with disease-fighting impacts inside the body and their deficiencies are found to produce negative health outcomes.

These nutrients are particularly found to produce a myriad of health benefits, especially for the brain. They are obtained widely today through the use of formulas like Divine Bounty B Vitamin Complex.

It contains Choline, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, and vitamin B6 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07414752B).