Major depressive illness is a devastating condition affecting not only the individual, but also family and friends around them. New research has recently shed light on one potential cause, and the findings may potentially offer new hope for many sufferers. A medical research team in Canada have studied brain scans of 20 people diagnosed with depression for signs of brain inflammation, and compared them to healthy controls.

They found that immune cells present in the brain, called migroglia, which play an active role in inflammation in the brain, are significantly more active in individuals with severe depression. The team believe their study to offer the most compelling evidence to-date that inflammation plays a key role in major depressive episodes, and could be an avenue for improving treatment and long-term outcomes for many sufferers. With the numerous dietary and lifestyle options known to reduce inflammation in the body, this is exciting research indeed.