Neurobiological basis of chiropractic manipulative treatment of the spine in the care of major depression.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Major depressive disorder is associated with an autonomic nervous system imbalance. All the symptoms of depression (high cortisol, high adrenalin, insomnia, agitation, anxiety) can probably be attributed to over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system. We performed this review in order to highlight the possible links between chiropractic intervention, its potential molecular effects and its possible outcomes on patients with depression. METHODS: We performed a literature search for all the relevant manuscript regarding the effects of chiropractic and depression on the autonomic nervous system. RESULTS: Chiropractic care and spinal manipulation regulate the autonomic nervous system at peripheral level and its projections to the central nervous system. In particular, they may activate the parasympathetic system to counterbalance the activity of the sympathetic system. Vagal parasympathetic stimulation is also considered an effective therapy for major depression as it releases neurotrophins essential for anti-depressive therapies, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor. CONCLUSION: Chiropractic and spinal manipulative therapies along with vagal nerve stimulation may therefore be regarded as treatment options for depression.

Molecular foundations of chiropractic therapy.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Alternative medicine is a broad term used to encompass different therapies, including chiropractic. Chiropractic was called "a science of healing without drugs" by its founder, David Daniel Palmer. It is based on the idea that the body has a powerful self-healing ability and that there is a relationship between body structure and function that affects health. In particular, chiropractic assumes that the nervous system controls the human body through nerves branching from the vertebral column and spinal cord. Researchers do not fully understand how chiropractic therapies affect pain, but chiropractic is widely used today to treat chronic pain, such as back pain. Different studies with animal models have demonstrated that chiropractic therapies mediate neuroplasticity, specifically through modulation of neurotrophins. No studies have yet been published on interaction between neurotrophin gene polymorphisms and chiropractic treatment. METHODS: We searched PubMed with the following keywords: chiropractic, neuroplasticity, neurotrophin gene polymorphism for a panorama of on the molecular mechanisms of chiropractic therapy. RESULTS: From the material collected, we identified a set of genes and some functional polymorphisms that could be correlated with better response to chiropractic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Further association studies will be necessary to confirm hypotheses of a correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms in specific genes and better response to chiropractic therapy.