At some point in their life, 15-20 per cent of the population experience a period of depression. Ove Wiborg studies the biological and environmental factors that are brought into play when the disease develops. This is the research that the Riisfort Foundation has chosen to support with a grant of DKK 100,000.

"The grant from the Riisfort Foundation helps strengthen the progress of the research project. It will go towards buying equipment and to covering ongoing operating expenses and it will promote the development of the project," says Ove Wiborg.

His research will help to develop new and better forms of treatment for patients who suffer from a depression. In the long term, Ove Wiborg hopes that the new treatment principles will be implemented in the healthcare sector and the health treatment system.

Stress can lead to depression

Stress is often an important factor when a depression develops. In the research project Ove Wiborg examines how rats react when they are exposed to chronic mild stress and this is used to model depression. The researcher describes the behaviour of the animals and examines the nervous system in the brain through scanning and by means of histological methods which shed light on the microscopic combination patterns in the animal tissue.

“We study the biological and environmental factors that lead to the development of the depression. When we improve our understanding of the factors, we increase the likelihood of being able to develop new and better treatment principles for patients with depression," says Ove Wiborg.

Further information

Associate Professor Ove Wiborg
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and
Aarhus University Hospital, Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit
Tel.: + 45 7847 1280
Mobile: + 45 2512 5546
ove.wiborg@clin.au.dk