A recent study led by researchers, including Professor Valeria Mondelli from King’s IoPPN, highlights the urgent need to explore the biological drivers of depression in teenagers, particularly among girls.

Teen girls are facing significantly higher rates of depression compared to boys, with emerging studies suggesting that biological factors may play a crucial role in this disparity.

Published in Biological Psychiatry, the study investigates the kynurenine pathway, a series of brain chemical reactions, to better understand its influence on adolescent depression.

The research categorized teenagers aged 14 to 16 into three groups based on their mental health: low risk, high risk, and diagnosed depression, ensuring equal representation of boys and girls in each category.

Findings indicated that girls at high risk or already diagnosed with depression exhibited significantly lower levels of kynurenic acid, a protective brain chemical, compared to their male counterparts.

This research underscores the potential of measuring chemicals in the kynurenine pathway as a means to identify individuals at risk of persistent depression, particularly among females.

After three years, girls with persistent depression showed elevated levels of neurotoxic chemicals, suggesting that a long-term chemical imbalance may impede recovery.

The study also examined inflammation markers, revealing that high levels of inflammation corresponded with increased quinolinic acid, a neurotoxic chemical, indicating that inflammation may worsen depression.

Funded by MQ Mental Health Research and supported by the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, this study opens new avenues for detecting and treating depression in adolescents.

The researchers advocate for personalized support strategies that address both biological and lifestyle factors, aiming for more effective interventions for teenage depression.