A new study published this week in Molecular Psychiatry by Emory University researchers has revealed a promising new avenue for treating motivational deficits in patients suffering from depression. Motivational impairments are a core component of depression and have long been linked with poor treatment outcomes, diminished quality of life and heightened suicide risk. Growing evidence suggests one potential cause of low motivation may be persistent inflammation , which suppresses activity within key circuits in the brain .
This study is the first of its kind to examine the effects of infliximab—an antagonist of inflammatory molecule tumor necrosis factor (TNF)—on both behavioral and brain markers of motivation in a group of 42 medically stable, unmedicated depressed patients. Importantly, the study focused on patients who were not only depressed, but also exhibited evidence of high inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) greater than 3 mg/L. CRP is a blood test commonly available in clinics and hospitals throughout the United States.
The research team believed that for some patients with depression, the addition of high inflammation might play a key role in their experience of lower motivation. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either a single dose of infliximab (a potent anti-inflammatory medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions) or a placebo. Over two weeks, researchers assessed changes in the patients' motivat.
