Researchers at the Wertheim UF Scripps Institute have found that the amino acid glycine can send a “slow-down” signal to the brain, potentially contributing to depression and anxiety. The discovery, centered around the GPR158 receptor, could help develop faster-acting treatments for mood disorders. More research is needed to understand mGlyR receptors’ role and impact on brain cell activity.
A common amino acid, glycine, can deliver a “slow-down” signal to the brain, likely contributing to major depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders in some people, scientists at the Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology have found.
The discovery, outlined on March 30 in the journal Science, improves understanding of the biological causes of major depression and could accelerate efforts to develop new, faster-acting medications for such hard-to-treat mood disorders, said neuroscientist Kirill Martemyanov, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study.
“Most medications for people with depression take weeks before they kick in, if they do at all. New and better options are really needed,” said Martemyanov, who chairs the neuroscience department at the institute in Jupiter.
Major depression is among the world’s most urgent health needs. Its numbers have surged in recent years, especially among young adults. As depression’s disability, suicide numbers, and medical expenses have climbed, a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2021 put its economic burden at $326 billion annually in the United States.