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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

Oxidative stress and psychiatric disorders: a new therapeutic avenue emerging from the role of antioxidants in the brain

Oxidative stress and psychiatric disorders: a new therapeutic axis emerging from the role of antioxidants on the brain

Oxidative stress is emerging as a shared biological mechanism in psychiatric disorders, and preclinical evidence suggests that antioxidant-based nutritional strategies may complement treatment.

The presentation examines the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder and stress-related psychopathology, and explores whether antioxidants could offer a new therapeutic avenue. Oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and endogenous antioxidant defense capacity, is described as contributing to neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired neuroplasticity, and altered neurotransmission, which are increasingly recognized as shared biological pathways underlying psychiatric disorders. The presenters’ own research has identified oxidative stress as a common mechanism shaping fetal programming in response to various prenatal stressors; preclinical models have shown that an imbalanced maternal diet acts as a harmful prenatal stressor. Different forms of prenatal adversity are reported to converge on evolutionarily conserved pathways, increasing offspring susceptibility to stress-related behavioral impairments. These changes are attributed to shifts in redox balance, and maternal administration of N-acetylcysteine, a potent antioxidant, is reported to prevent behavioral and neurobiological changes in offspring. The presentation concludes that nutritional strategies capable of modulating inflammation and oxidative stress could complement pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy, enabling a more holistic approach to treatment.

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