Published on : 12 Nov 2025, 3:59 am

NEW YORK: Researchers identified SGK1 as a key chemical connecting childhood trauma to depression and suicidal behaviour. High SGK1 levels were found in the brains of suicide victims and in people with genetic variants linked to early adversity. Drugs that block SGK1 could offer a new kind of antidepressant, especially for patients resistant to SSRIs.

Neuroscientists from Columbia University and McGill University have identified a brain chemical that appears to drive depression and suicidal thinking in individuals who faced trauma or hardship during childhood.

The researchers found that high levels of a stress-related protein called SGK1 are closely associated with depression among people who endured early-life adversity.

This discovery opens

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