Texas researchers have discovered how a natural compound works to regulate mood – a finding that could open the door to powerful new antidepressants.
 

With approximately 1 in 10 American adults reporting some form of depression, medical investigators from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said the finding is an important "breakthrough" in mental health research.
 

Jeffrey Zigman, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at UT Southwestern, explained that the team uncovered an important mechanism by which ghrelin – a natural antidepressant hormone – works inside the brain. The researchers also identified a neuroprotective drug that they say has the potential to be a powerful treatment for depression.
 

The findings, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, are based on an analysis of ghrelin in mice, but the researchers said the same mechanisms occur in humans.
 

The new work builds on prior research led by Dr. Zigman that found that ghrelin has natural antidepressant properties, particularly when levels increase due to prolonged psychological stress or caloric restriction.
 

The latest study found that the hormone can trigger the formation of new neurons in the hippocampus –the brain region that regulates mood, memory, and complex eating behaviors.
 

"By investigating the way … ghrelin works to limit the extent of depression following long-term exposure to stress, we discovered what could become a brand new class of antidepressant drugs," Dr. Zigman said.