Gabby Boadi

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric condition with high death rates around the world. The pathophysiology of MDD is misunderstood, causing scientists to investigate novel biomarkers of depression. Psychological trauma has been associated with dysregulation of the inflammatory system, which is the immune system's response to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, toxic compounds, or irradiation predisposing patients to MDD. With recent advances in MRI, neurobiological theories related to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can be examined. BBB allows substances, such as water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and general anesthetics, to pass into the brain. Researchers in this paper focus on the role of perivascular spaces (PVSs) which form around neural vasculature and play a role in the clearance of chronic inflammatory mediators in the brain. The specific goal of this research was to use MRI field strength to investigate the associations between psychological trauma and whole-brain PVS quantification in patients with MDD. To conduct this research, both MDD and healthy control patients were observed. Both underwent MRI scans, and an imaging software was used to  indicate PVSs. The results of this study suggest a relationship between glymphatic impairment and that it may  play a role in trauma-related symptomatology.