(Press-News.org) Depression is a mental health condition that affects 280 million people worldwide. It is twice as common in women than men and this pattern starts to develop during adolescence. Researchers have studied the biological processes that drive depression in adults and shown a potential role for the kynurenine pathway, but this is the first time it has been investigated in adolescents in relation to biological sex.
The study was published in Biological Psychiatry and funded by MQ Mental Health Research and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
The ‘kynurenine pathway’ is a series of chemical reactions that processes tryptophan, an amino acid found in foods. When tryptophan is broken down, it can take two routes in the brain: one that produces neuroprotective (brain-protecting) chemicals and another that produces neurotoxic (brain-damaging) chemicals. This process involves several byproducts including kynurenic acid (neuroprotective) and quinolinic acid (neurotoxic).
Senior author Professor Valeria Mondelli, Clinical Professor of Psychoneuroimmunology at King’s IoPPN and theme lead for Mood Disorders and Psychosis at NIHR Maudsley BRC said: “Adolescence is a time when many changes occur in the brain and body but we still know very little about the possible biological drivers for depression and how this might affect the difference between teenage boys and girls. Our study indicates the ‘kynurenine pathway’ plays a role in development of depression during the teenage years which may help us to understand why there is a higher incidence amongst girls. During adolescence there are a wide range of social and individual factors that influence mental health and by identifying the biological pathways involved we hope we can help build a clearer picture of how we can help teenagers manage depression.”
Using blood tests, the study assessed the levels of kynurenic and quinolinic acids in a group of 150 teenagers from Brazil aged between 14 and 16. The teenagers belonged to one of three groups - those with low risk of depression, those with high risk of depression and those who had been diagnosed with depression. Risk was assessed using a measure that had been developed as part of the Identifying Depression Early in Adolescence (IDEA) project and considers a range of factors1. There were 50 adolescents in each group and they were evenly divided by biological sex to explore differences between male and female adolescents. The adolescents were tracked over three years to assess if their depression symptoms persisted or improved.
King’s College London researchers found that adolescents with a higher risk for depression or who have a current diagnosis of depression had lower levels of kynurenic acid, the neuroprotective compound. This reduction was most evident in female adolescents, suggesting that girls might be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of an imbalanced kynurenine pathway during adolescence, potentially explaining why females experience depression at higher rates.
The study also measured specific proteins in the blood that indicate the body is in an inflammatory state, and are released during infection, stress, or illness. It found that higher levels of these inflammatory markers were linked to increased production of neurotoxic chemicals in the kynurenine pathway. Notably, this association was found in adolescents at high-risk or with depression, but not in low-risk adolescents. This suggests that inflammation might drive the kynurenine pathway toward producing neurotoxic chemicals, increasing the risk of depression.
In the follow-up three years later, the study showed that female adolescents with persistent depression had higher levels of neurotoxic metabolites than those who recovered over time, suggesting that increased neurotoxic activity in the kynurenine pathway could make depression harder to overcome for some adolescents
First author and Senior Research Associate at King’s IoPPN Dr Naghmeh Nikkheslat said “Our study indicates that the measurement of chemicals involved in the kynurenine pathway could potentially help identify those who at risk of persistent depression, particularly amongst females, as well as inform the approaches we take to providing support. This insight could help develop more targeted support for teenagers with depression through interventions that work in a range of ways on the kynurenine pathway from medication to lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.”
Sex-Specific Alternations of Kyneurenine Pathway in Association with Risk and Remission of Depression in Adolescence. Nikkheslat, N. et al. Biological Psychiatry https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.11.020
END
Biological pathway in the brain could help explain why teenage girls are more depressed than boys
2025-03-25
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Artisanal fishers are almost as accurate as satellites in producing environmental data
2025-03-25
Artisanal fishers can be almost as accurate as satellite data when it comes to their awareness of features that can be found in the marine environment, a new study has shown.
Published in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management, the research set out to establish the value of local ecological knowledge (LEK) and its ability to generate high quality habitat maps around five Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea.
Ten fishermen, based on their individual experience and knowledge, were asked to pinpoint areas where they believed seagrass beds could be found along the coastlines of their respective islands.
The maps they produced were then compared ...
Teaching kids about bugs benefits the environment
2025-03-25
Pro-environmental behaviour increases among school students who participate in insect-related citizen science projects, according to new research from the University of Adelaide.
Students who participated in citizen science project Insect Investigators, which engages students in the discovery of new insects, not only expressed an intention to change their personal behaviour but also to encourage others to protect nature.
“As a result of their involvement in this program, students expressed intentions to further engage in insect–science–nature activities,” says the University of Adelaide’s Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries, who contributed ...
Tandem design on electrocatalysts and reactors for electrochemical CO2 reduction
2025-03-25
Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) driven by green electricity represents a promising strategy for CO2 mitigation and utilization by producing fuels and chemicals. Tandem strategy based on multifunctional tandem catalysts or cascade reactors enables deep CO2 reduction to high-value multi-carbon products. Nevertheless, it is challenging to precisely regulate the multi-step reaction pathways toward efficient CO2 conversion. A comprehensive understanding of the tandem reaction mechanisms is crucial for guiding the rational design of advanced catalysts and reactor systems to address these challenges.
This review systematically ...
New study reveals impact of vermicomposted olive wastes on plant defense and pest control.
2025-03-25
A recent study published in Soil Ecology Letters has elucidated the combined effects of soil amendments and pest attacks on plant-induced defence mechanisms and their impact on the behaviour of biological control agents. The research, conducted by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Fundación MEDINA, focused on the utilisation of vermicomposted olive mill waste as a soil amendment and its consequence on the tri-trophic interactions between olive trees (Olea europaea), ...
An extension of process calculus for asynchronous communications between agents with epistemic states
2025-03-25
It plays a central role in intelligent agent systems to model agents’ epistemic states and their changes. Asynchrony plays a key role in distributed systems, in which the messages transmitted may not be received instantly by the agents. Epistemic interaction behaviors can change agents’ epistemic states, while the latter will affect the former. So far, the literature mainly focuses on formalizing the change of epistemic state after receiving information.
To model epistemic interactions between ...
Researchers achieve de novo biosynthesis of plant lignans using synthetic yeast consortia
2025-03-25
Lignans are low molecular weight polyphenolic compounds with important antitumor and antiviral properties. However, their low amounts in medicinal plants and complex structures make sustainable production through plant extraction and chemical synthesis challenging, limiting their availability to meet market demand.
In a study published in Nature Chemical Biology, a research group led by Prof. ZHOU Yongjin from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Prof. ZHANG Lei ...
Ferroptosis contributes to immunosuppression
2025-03-25
Iron-dependent ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic cell death mechanism, is gaining attention for its role in immune suppression. Ferroptosis, driven by excessive lipid peroxides and iron-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS), differs from other cell death forms in its immunogenicity. It involves the regulation of the cystine/glutamate transport system xc−, with glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) preventing toxic lipid peroxide accumulation. Ferroptosis-related factors are implicated in various diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Macrophages, crucial for immune response, are affected by ferroptosis. ...
Study confirms accuracy of blood test for early Alzheimer’s detection in Asian populations
2025-03-25
A study in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, a leading journal in dementia research, has demonstrated the high accuracy of plasma p-tau217 as a blood-based biomarker for detecting abnormal brain beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathology, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). More significantly, the study validates its effectiveness even in individuals with cerebrovascular disease (CeVD), which is highly prevalent in Asian populations. This finding can enhance early diagnosis, improve patient risk stratification, and facilitate better clinical management of AD in diverse populations.
The ...
Cloud band movement influences wet spells during Indian monsoon
2025-03-25
The monsoon rains have long remained the lifeblood of India, providing the lion’s share of the water used for drinking and irrigation. The yearly arrival of the rains, which quenches the thirst of the harsh summers, is caused by the movement of cloud bands from the equator towards the north.
A recent study from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has shown that contrary to previous understanding, the strength of the cloud band plays a key role in its movement as well as the density of rains that the Indian subcontinent receives during the wet spells of the monsoon.
India receives 80% ...
Two USC innovators honored by the National Academy of Inventors for unlocking the power of the immune system
2025-03-25
Two researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have been elected as senior members of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), an organization that recognizes inventors holding US patents and promotes academic technology and innovation to benefit society.
The newly elected senior members are Preet Chaudhary, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and the Ronald H. Bloom Family Chair in Lymphoma Research, and Michael Selsted, MD, PhD, professor of pathology.
“Professors Chaudhary and Selsted are nationally known for their entrepreneurial research, and I’m thrilled to see them acknowledged with this ...