Astrocytes Identified as Depression Therapy

23rd Jan 2013, Tufts University’s neuroscience researchers, found that the Astrocytes, that is the star shape brain cell, can be helpful to improve the mood in patients who were depressed due to sleep deprivation. It was identified in vivo study that how this astrocytes controls a Neuro- Transmitter related to sleep. The researchers say that this finding can help in developing drug which is fast and effective to cure depression, especially in emergencies.

The drugs that are used to fight depression take weeks to show their effect. But sleep deprivation has proved in 60 percent patients immediately effective in most of depression disorders. However it is not long lasting and uncomfortable for patients.

The research was verified in 1970, that the sleep deprivation is effective against depression. Rapid eye sleep movement deprivation mainly. However the brain mechanism was that was underlying was not known.
We have known more about brains because of neurons, but glia is another cell which is ignored. Glia is thought historically as neurons support cell. Phil Haydon group, Tufts University School of Medicine, showed that Astrocytes, a type of Glia in animal model, affects the behavior.

Haydon group has previously found that astrocytes controls sleep deprivation response by the release of neutral-transmitters which controls the neurons. The sleep wake cycle is affected by this neuron regulation activity. Adenosine receptors in neurons are the one specifically acted. Adenosine is sleep inducing chemical.
The time that we are awake, Adenosine gets accumulated and the urge to sleep increases, this called as sleep pressure. Adenosine receptor antagonists are chemicals like caffeine and they keep us awake. But on the contrary adenosine receptor agonist will make you sleepy.

Dustin Hines, First author, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow, department of neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine said that, in the study we gave 3 doses of adenosine receptor agonist was given to the mice in a night which was sleep deprivation equivalent. The mice were sleeping normally but the adenosine levels were not reduced sufficiently because of the sleep, this mimicked the sleep deprivation effect.  Just after 12 hours they found that the depressive symptoms were decreased in the mice and adenosine was increased in the brain, this was maintained for 48 hours.

By controlling the astrocytes we could mimic the sleep deprivation effects on symptoms like depression, which can give an improved behavior faster and longer time.

For developing and researching an anti-depressant drug, to understand the astrocytic signal and adenosine role, is vital. The drugs based on this research help can provide fast relief in psychiatric emergency and chronic depression symptoms elevated for longer span, as quoted by Naomi Rosenberg, Ph.D., Dean and Vice Dean for, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine respectively. The next course of action of the team would be to check if there are any other receptors and that too can affect.