Brains, molecules, and depression

“I have a freezer full of brains at work.”

• Samara Brown, PhD Candidate

Beautiful Mind

Samara Brown is a neuroscientist completing her PhD in Wollongong, where she is investigating the molecular changes that underpin major depressive disorder. Specifically, she studies chemical processes that occur in the brain known collectively as the kynurenine pathway. Of the many chemicals produced in this pathway, Samara is particularly interested in two products which work in direct opposition to one another: one causes activation of certain receptors in the brain, whereas the other blocks it.

The levels of these two chemicals is critical for healthy brain function. Imbalances have been implicated in several illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Huntington’s disease. Research is now showing that imbalances between these specific products of the kynurenine pathway are also involved in depression.

Although major depressive disorder primarily involves the brain, most of the research in this space involves blood samples of those with clinical diagnoses of depression, leaving an important gap in our understanding of the disorder.

This is where Samara comes in.

Instead of conducting blood studies, she works with post-mortem brain tissue to identify changes in the kynurenine pathway. By comparing differences in the kynurenine system between a cohort of disease-affected brains and health controls, she will strengthen our understanding of the role of this crucial pathway. She hopes this research will lead to a better understanding of the physiology of depression and perhaps inform the development of new treatments.

“I am finding out if changes that happen in the blood with the kynurenine pathway, match changes in the brain, and what that could mean for new treatments for depression.”