Depression, another autoimmune disease from the view of autoantibodies

Immune dysregulation is very common in major depression (MID) patients, with these individuals incurring increased risk for development of chronic inflammatory disease or autoimmune disease. Meanwhile, depressive symptoms have been found at a high prevalence in autoimmune disease. This apparent convergence suggests they may share a common pathogenic factor, or a close interaction innate. Recent studies have found that autoantibodies play an important role in the pathogenesis of depression both in animal models and human. Here, we suggest that depression, in nature, can be regarded as autoimmune disease caused by various autoantibodies, which broadens our understanding of depression, and brings about new fields for research and clinical implications of the disease. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.