Inflammation's hidden role in depression: new study targets reward pathways

NCT ID NCT03848715

First seen Feb 01, 2026 · Last updated May 04, 2026 · Updated 12 times

Summary

This study looked at how inflammation changes the way younger women experience reward, which may help explain why some people develop depression. Researchers gave 40 healthy women a mild inflammatory substance or a placebo and measured their responses to money and smiling faces. The goal was to better understand the link between inflammation and mood, not to test a new treatment.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

Conditions

Explore the condition pages connected to this study.