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Fever and poor appetite are one thing. But why do we become depressed and feel so badly when influenza strikes? Neurological researchers at Linköping University have demonstrated at the molecular level how inflammations affect mood.

The findings from a new study on mice suggest that special immune cells found in the brain, microglial cells, contribute to the negative mood experienced during several neurological diseases, and maybe also depression.

One in four people in Sweden will be affected at some time by a depression so serious that it requires treatment. Wouldn’t it be great if we could understand the brain circuits that determine the way we feel, and find new and better treatments?

Mice that lack a certain receptor in the brain are attracted to situations associated with discomfort, such as inflammation and nausea. The finding by researchers from Linköping University has been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.