Histamine Could Be a Key Player in Depression, According to Study in Mice

Findings from researchers at Imperial College London and the University of South Carolina, add to mounting evidence that inflammation, and the accompanying release of the molecule histamine (image), affects a key molecule responsible for mood in the brain--serotonin. If replicated in humans, the findings--which identify histamine as a ‘new molecule of interest’ in depression--could open new avenues for treating depression, which is the most common mental health problem worldwide. The new results were published online on July 28, 2021 in the Journal of Neuroscience. The open-access article is titled “Inflammation-Induced Histamine Impairs the Capacity of Escitalopram to Increase Hippocampal Extracellular Serotonin.”