Inflammation and Mental Health: What’s The Connection?

Inflammation is the body’s normal response to irritants, such as disease-causing microbes or pathogens. Its physical manifestations include redness, swelling, heat, and pain. 

However, many are not aware that inflammation can also impact your mental well-being. Hence, if you have chronic inflammation, it can result in mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Below, we dive into the link between inflammation and mental health. 

How Does Inflammation Impact Mental Health

The effects of inflammation extend from physical symptoms to mental health imbalance. For one, chronic inflammation can disrupt mood regulation⁽¹⁾, leading to conditions that may disrupt day-to-day life. The following pathways depict how inflammation and mental health are connected. 

1. Inflammation can interfere with neurotransmitter function

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that facilitate neural communication. They help send signals between neurons, influencing various nervous functions such as muscle control, heart regulation, mood management, and more. 

Some of the essential neurotransmitters that impact mood include serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The availability of these neurotransmitters is restricted during inflammation⁽²⁾ as the activity of the reuptake pump, a process of removing these neurotransmitters from the neural synapse, increases. 

In addition, the production and release of these neurotransmitters also drop in response to inflammation. It is noted that during chronic inflammatory response, the precursor for the formation of serotonin is broken down rapidly, leading to decreased serotonin levels. Likewise, certain enzymatic co-factors are also inhibited, which are requirements for neurotransmitter synthesis.  

Inflammation can also increase the presence of glutamate⁽³⁾, a neurotransmitter that facilitates neuron death due to overstimulation. This event is referred to as excitotoxicity, which is associated with neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. 

Also Read: 5 Ways To Fix Low Dopamine Levels Naturally

2. Inflammation may cause hormonal imbalance

Chronic inflammation can lead to problems with hormone regulation. For example, it can disrupt the pathway of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis⁽⁴⁾ that controls the body’s response to stress. 

In this case, the stress hormone called cortisol increases at an alarming rate, which impacts brain function, causes sleep problems, increases anxiety, and contributes to the development of mood disorders. 

Inflammation also disrupts other body functions linked to mental health, such as thyroid hormone production. A disparity in the levels of thyroid hormones can lead to irritability, mood swings, and cognitive problems. 

Also Read: How Your Hormones Can Affect Your Mental Health

3. Inflammation in the brain can alter its structure

Inflammation specific to brain tissues, clinically referred to as neuroinflammation⁽⁵⁾, impacts cognitive function and brain structure. Neuroinflammation can destroy brain cells and directly interfere with neural pathways, including the activation of neurotransmitters that regulate mood. 

Additionally, chronic inflammation impacts neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to adapt and learn. As a result, affected individuals may find it extra challenging to deal with and recover from stressful events, increasing their susceptibility to mental health disorders. 

4. Gut inflammation can restrict neural communication

The gut-brain axis consists of an intricate network that mediates communication between various systems, including the digestive, nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. When there is inflammation in the gut, it can extend to the brain when inflammatory molecules get into the bloodstream and break the blood-brain barrier⁽⁶⁾, affecting brain function. 

The gut is also involved in the production of mood neurotransmitters. Hence, gut inflammation can impact its production, causing a significant imbalance. 

Furthermore, inflammation can irritate the longest cranial nerve, the vagus nerve⁽⁷⁾, which connects the gut to the brain. Once this happens, the transmission of neuron signals can be impaired, causing interference with various functions linked to mental health issues.    

Inflammation and Mood Disorders

Mood disorders stem from complex conditions. Chronic inflammation can lead to problems with cognition, neurotransmitter functions, and other physiological issues affecting mental health. Likewise, mood disorders can also influence inflammation, especially at the height of their impact on your overall wellness. 

The following data further establish the connection between inflammation and mental health. 

• Depression: A range of studies suggest that chronic inflammation causes changes in the neurocircuit that drive depressive symptoms⁽⁸⁾, such as persistent sadness, fatigue, and loss of interest. Additional research has been called for to explore approaches relating to anti-inflammatory interventions⁽⁹⁾ as preventive measures for depression. 
• General anxiety: Studies show that people diagnosed with general anxiety have elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines⁽¹⁰⁾. These molecules impact mood regulation that triggers anxiety. 
• Bipolar disorder: A study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry shows that C-reactive protein (CRP)⁽¹¹⁾, a marker for inflammation, is elevated among patients with bipolar disorder.   

Also Read: How To Reduce C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Levels Naturally?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does inflammation affect the brain?

Inflammation can impact brain function through multiple pathways. These include disrupting the balance in neurotransmitters, hormones, and oxidative stress. Inflammation also harms the blood-brain barrier, allowing foreign substances and immune cells to reach the brain and causing physical and physiological damage. 

How does mental stress cause inflammation?

Chronic stress can lead to inflammation. When you’re under stress, your body will secrete cortisol, the hormone responsible for cascading the body’s response to stress, along with “fight-or-flight” hormones that keep you alert. Although this is a natural occurrence, frequent spikes in cortisol can lead to chronic inflammation. 

Can inflammation trigger anxiety?

Inflammation can influence anxiety as it can impact mood regulation. However, the degree of inflammation has to be qualified to fully understand its close association with anxiety. That said, low to mild-grade inflammation alone does not trigger anxiety, especially if it’s not chronic.  

The Bottom Line

The exact mechanism of how inflammation and mental health problems are connected is still being studied. However, enough evidence suggests that there is a close link between the two conditions, particularly with chronic inflammation. As a result, it is crucial to continue looking into how physical problems intertwine with mental health disorders. Doing so allows for better prevention and new treatment courses.