A new body of research is suggesting a link between Botox and treating depression.
The latest study looked at 84 participants who had severe depression for an average of two years. None of the participants responded to antidepressant medications. Some of the patients received Botox injections for smoothing out frown lines, while others received a placebo injection to the same facial area. Approximately 27% of the subjects who received Botox found their depression lifted, compared with 7% of the subjects who received the placebo.
Researchers believe that physical expressions of emotions can have an effect on how we process our emotions. By forcing a frown, some people may actually feel depressed, while purposely smiling can help to lift a mood. Dr. Eric Finzi, medical director of the Chevy Chase Cosmetic Center in Maryland said of his study, “This trial shows that inhibition of frowning can lead to remission in depression.” While it is too early to propose that Botox may be used like antidepressants such as Prozac, the positive results from recent studies suggest it is an area that will be watched closely….. Time Healthland 1/1/13 The mechanism as to why Botox may help is interesting. I believe it is probably a combination of cosmetic(without frowning as much) and, more importantly, immunologic. Botox helps migraines primarily thru immunologic mechanisms; it turns out, entirely coincidentally(serendipity) that Botox is a powerful immune modulator, via dampening down the neurologic immune response(Botox is probably a strong “CGRP” inhibitor, with CGRP being a strong inflammatory molecule.
There is evidence that depression, like migraines, has an inflammatory component, and dampening down the neuro immune response may help alleviate some depression.
I was convinced in 1988 (we published one of the first migraine-immune system studies) that the immune system was crucial in the migraine mechanism. We know less about the immune system and depression, but it would not be surprising if immune mechanisms do play a role.