Autoantibodies in Human Diabetic Depression Inhibit Adult Neural Progenitor Cells In vitro and Induce Depressive-Like Behavior in Rodents

Depression affects neurons in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus [1] and depression increases among the millions of older adults affected by diabetes worldwide [2-4]. Although diabetes and depression share certain risk factors, e.g. physical inactivity, obesity, inflammation, and hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation [5], the underlying mechanisms accounting for the substantially increased prevalence of comorbid depression in diabetes remain poorly understood [6]. One possibility is the wellknown association between diabetic depression and microvascular complications [3], including diabetic micro-albuminuria [7]. Diabetic micro-albuminuria is a marker of incipient renal injury and diffuse capillary dysfunction [8]. Therefore unknown factors elaborated by injured glomerular capillary endothelial cells might play a causative role in subsets of diabetic depression.