The cure for depression has long been elusive in the medical world.

While there are medications that temporarily treat symptoms and can artificially provide the chemical balance a depressed brain needs, a long-term cure has yet to emerge.

But one Emory study has found that a drug that increases dopamine can reverse the effects of inflammation on a brain that’s suffering from depression. It’s a promising peek into a future where we may be able to cure depression and its long-term effects.

The drug, levodopa, increases dopamine in the brain and could reverse the effects of inflammation on brain reward circuitry, which could improve some of depression’s most life-altering symptoms.

By affecting the brain’s reward pathways, levodopa can battle the inflammation that causes reduced motivation and anhedonia, a lack of enjoyment in life’s beautiful moments.

Current anti-depressants have failed to improve these areas for many people, simply reducing feeling across the board and leaving people with the oft-reported side effect of “emotional numbness.”

But there’s a catch. The drug is most effective in patients who have an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) which is an marker that suggests inflammation. But it’s a good sign for people whose depression seems to be related to brain inflammation and could translate well to those with autoimmune diseases marked by high inflammation and CRP levels.