Depression and Link to Herpes Virus HHV-6

Front. Microbiol. | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01955

Early-life infections and associated neuroinflammation is incriminated in the pathogenesis of various mood disorders. Infection with human roseoloviruses, HHV-6A and HHV-6B, allows viral latency in the central nervous system and other tissues, which can later be activated causing cognitive and behavioral disturbances. Hence this study was designed to evaluate possible association of HHV-6A and HHV-6B activation with three different groups of psychiatric patients. DNA qPCR, immunofluorescence and FISH studies were carried out in post mortem posterior cerebellum from 50 cases each of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, 15 major depressive disorder and 50 appropriate control samples obtained from two well-known brain collections (Stanley Medical Research Institute). Read more…