Researchers identified SGK1 as a key chemical connecting childhood trauma to depression and suicidal behavior. 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.