Healing Depression and Gut Problems All at Once

Two systems. One treatment.

STARTER STATS

• In 2023, 29% of Canadian adults reported experiencing depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition, up from 20% in 2016. 

• The prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder among Canadians doubled between 2012 and 2022, and tripled among young women aged 15-24.

---

Neuroscientists at the University of Victoria have discovered that Reelin — a naturally occurring protein found throughout the body — could help treat severe depression by simultaneously repairing the damaged intestinal barrier.

Chronic stress and major depressive disorder can compromise the gut's protective lining, allowing harmful bacteria and toxins to leak into the bloodstream and trigger inflammatory responses that worsen depression symptoms.

In preclinical studies, researchers found that a single injection of Reelin normalized protein levels in stressed intestinal tissue and restored barrier function. The findings build on earlier work showing that people with major depressive disorder have reduced Reelin in their brains, and that Reelin injections produce antidepressant-like effects in animal models.

"Taken together, these results may have important implications for the management of major depressive disorder. This is especially true for people who live with both depression and gastrointestinal conditions."

— Ciara Halvorson, PhD student

While clinical applications are years away, the protein's ability to support gut lining renewal (a process that naturally occurs every four to five days) suggests it could interrupt the cycle where intestinal permeability increases depressive symptoms.

Read more →