- Researchers investigated the link between brain lesions from multiple sclerosis and neural circuits in the brain associated with depression.
- They found that patients with MS and depression were more likely to have brain lesions on neural circuits linked to depression.
- The researchers say that further studies are needed to see if brain stimulation targets useful for depression may help those with MS and depression.
In multiple sclerosis (MS), immune cells attack myelin sheaths that encase nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin sheaths are insulating fatty layers that enable communication between neurons.
Early symptoms of MS may include fatigue, vision problems, and numbness. Around
Understanding more about the underlying neuroanatomy for depression in those with MS could help identify treatment
Recently, researchers used a mapping technique to understand whether brain lesions from MS are linked to neural circuits—neurons that communicate across brain regions—associated with depression. They found that MS lesions affect similar areas of the brain as depression.
“This work demonstrates that people with MS and depression are more likely to have lesions that are connected to a previously defined depression circuit in the brain,” Dr. John William Lindsey, professor, and director of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today.
“[This study] supports the idea that depression is a symptom of MS caused by MS lesions in the brain. Effective treatment of MS with therapies that slow down the disease process should also reduce depression.”
— Dr….
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