Inflammatory Depression: The Cytokine-Drive Link | MindLAB
Inflammatory Depression: How Cytokines Shut Down Your Brain’s Drive Architecture Inflammatory depression is a distinct neurobiological subtype in which chronic peripheral inflammation — elevated IL-6, TNF-alpha, and CRP — penetrates the blood-brain barrier and suppresses dopaminergic transmission in the VTA-to-ventral-striatum circuit. It produces fatigue, brain fog, and flatlined drive even when standard serotonergic strategies partially lift mood. ...
