Credit score: Emory College College of Drugs
A research from Emory College means that levodopa, a drugs that will increase dopamine ranges within the mind, might assist deal with people with despair who expertise motivational impairments because of excessive irritation. Researchers discovered {that a} frequent blood take a look at measuring C-reactive protein (CRP), a blood biomarker of irritation produced by the liver, might assist decide which sufferers are most certainly to reply to repeated doses of levodopa.
The findings, printed within the March 2025 print version of Mind, Conduct and Immunity, present that in individuals with CRP ranges above 2 mg/L, each day administration of levodopa improved connectivity inside a key mind reward pathway—the ventral striatum to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—after only one week of remedy throughout a variety of doses.
Whereas about half of the individuals responded finest to a decrease dose of 150 mg/day, the opposite half required as much as 450 mg/day for levodopa to successfully overcome the results of irritation on this dopamine-rich reward circuit.
Larger blood ranges of CRP point out elevated irritation within the physique, which might have an effect on the mind and result in behavioral adjustments comparable to decreased motivation. CRP and different inflammatory markers might be simply measured by way of easy blood checks, that are broadly accessible in clinics and hospitals throughout the U.S.
Earlier research by the Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory College College of Drugs linked the results of irritation on mind reward circuits in despair with low ranges of dopamine, a chemical neurotransmitter that regulates motivation.
A single dose of levodopa elevated measures of connectivity throughout the mind’s reward techniques, as noticed by way of useful magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a sort of mind scan. Notably, this enchancment in reward circuit operate was noticed solely in depressed people that had greater ranges of CRP (above 2 mg/L).
Importantly, repeated doses of levodopa present promise in bettering motivation in depressed sufferers with greater CRP. These enhancements have been linked to enhanced exercise within the mind’s reward facilities, as noticed by way of fMRI scans. Early findings additionally point out that levodopa might assist alleviate signs of anhedonia, the lack to really feel pleasure, and cut back total severity of despair in these sufferers.
“These findings are a significant step forward in the personalized treatment of depression. Targeting specific neurotransmitters affected by inflammation could provide new, effective treatment options, particularly for patients who have not responded well to standard antidepressants,” says principal investigator Jennifer C. Felger, Ph.D., affiliate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Emory College of Drugs.
“This research not only advances our understanding of the connection between inflammation and depression but also illustrates Emory’s continued commitment to pioneering new insights into the treatment of depression,” Felger says.
A follow-up randomized medical trial is underway to find out if an extended, eight-week course of levodopa can additional alleviate signs of despair and anhedonia in comparison with a placebo. This ongoing analysis will assist make clear levodopa’s potential as a focused remedy for people with excessive inflammation-related despair.
Extra data:
Mandakh Bekhbat et al, Neurotransmitter and metabolic results of interferon-alpha in affiliation with decreased striatal dopamine in a non-human primate mannequin of cytokine-Induced despair, Mind, Conduct, and Immunity (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.01.010
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Levodopa might enhance motivation in despair linked to excessive irritation (2025, March 20)
retrieved 20 March 2025
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