Antisomatostatin IgG in Major Depressive Disorder: A Preliminary Study With Implications for an Autoimmune Mechanism of Depression

• IgG reactive with somatostatin 1-14 was identified in human plasma by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. From a sample of 25 subjects, six (60%) of ten individuals with major depressive disorder demonstrated antibody reactive with somatostatin 1-14, in contrast to one (7%) of 15 controls. Overall, antisomatostatin reactivity was significantly higher in patients with major depressive disorder (0.233 ±0.177) than in the normal volunteers (0.084±0.039; t= 3.18, P