In a review published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology, researchers discussed the interactions between central and peripheral immunobiological mechanisms associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and major depressive disorder (MDD).
They further described the role of inflammatory proteins, the effect of peripheral inflammation on various parts of the brain, and the relationship between alterations in the brain and inflammation-driven depression.
Background
RA is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that negatively affects synovial joints and multiple other organs. Depression is a common, clinically heterogeneous condition affecting every other patient with RA. Increasing evidence suggests that RA and depression have overlapping features and may be modulated by each other.
