Preliminary evidence shows that ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (E-EPA) has a marked clinical effect when used as an adjunct in therapy-refractory depression. EPA belongs to the class of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. The mechanism of its action in depression is not fully understood. There are two rel...

Proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1beta can cause cognitive impairment, activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and impair monoaminergic neurotransmission in the rat. IL-1beta has also been shown to increase the concentration of the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in t...

This review summarizes some of the evidence which implicates an increase in the peripheral and central secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the behavioural changes seen in some stress-induced and brain lesion models of depression. Following a consideration of the role of cytokines in the perip...

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Interleukin (IL)-1beta is a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in modulating inflammation and stress responses in the brain. Central administration of IL-1beta impairs both memory functions and long-term potentiation (LTP) induction. However, the molecular events responsible for the downstream effec...

Central administration of 15 ng interleukin (IL)-1beta in the rat significantly enhanced conditioned fear memory assessed by a passive avoidance task, when retested at 24 and 48 h post-training. Pain threshold was unaffected by 15 ng IL-1beta administration. IL-1beta treatment also increased serum c...

BACKGROUND: Animal studies have demonstrated seasonal changes in immune function mediated by nocturnal melatonin duration as a biological signal for photoperiod. Recent research has highlighted the potential role of neuroimmune dysfunction in depressive disorders. The etiology of winter depression (...