Brain cells behind depression identified

Fahad Redha

April 24, 2026
3 min read

Brain cells behind depression identified

For the first time, scientists have identified two specific types of brain cells that behave differently among people with depression. This offers a clearer look at what happens inside the brain. By analysing donated brain tissue using advanced genetic tools, the team from McGill University and the Douglas Institute, the team have found changes in neurons linked to stress and mood, as well as in immune-related microglia cells.

The findings were published in Nature Genetics in a paper titled “Single-nucleus chromatin accessibility profiling identifies cell types and functional variants contributing to major depression” by Anjali Chawla. They provide important information that could help with future treatments that are designed to target specific cells. They also offer a clear understanding of depression, a condition that affects over a quarter of a billion people globally and is among the leading causes of disability.

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“This is the first time we’ve been able to identify what specific brain cell types are affected in depression by mapping gene activity together with mechanisms that regulate the DNA code,” senior author Dr. Gustavo Turecki, a professor at McGill, clinician-scientist at the Douglas Institute and Canada Research Chair in Major Depressive Disorder and Suicide said. “It gives us a much clearer picture of where disruptions are happening, and which cells are involved.”

To make the discovery, the team relied on post-mortem brain samples from the Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank. The collection is among a few in the world where donated brain tissue from those with psychiatric conditions is available, making it a useful resource for studying the biology of mental health.

With advanced single-cell genomic techniques, they looked at RNA and DNA from thousands of individual brain cells, allowing them to identify which cells were behaving differently among those with depression. They could also identify genetic patterns that could help explain those differences. The study examined samples from 59 people diagnosed with depression and 41 without.

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About Author

Fahad Redha

Fahad is the Content Editor at EyeOnLondon, overseeing the publication’s editorial output across news, culture, and lifestyle. With a background in journalism from the University of the Creative Arts, he brings a broad range of experience from local London reporting in Kensington & Chelsea, where he held roles including motoring, events, and health editor. At EyeOnLondon, Fahad plays a central role in shaping content and maintaining editorial standards. His work spans everything from daily news to feature coverage, with a particular strength in motoring and events. He also incorporates photography into his reporting, adding a visual layer to many of his stories. Fahad joined EyeOnLondon in February 2021.