Treating Different Types Of Depressions
Already, Listons lab has found that of the four subtypes of depression discovered, one is highly responsive to transcranial magnetic stimulation a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic fields to create electrical impulses in the brain. Two of the subtypes did not respond, and another had intermediate response levels. This type of information could help psychiatrists determine how to proceed in treating different types of depression.
Liston says that these diagnostics are still in the early days of development. The next steps would be to replicate the results and show that brain scans are effective in improving response rates to treatment. Finally, the researchers will need to run clinical trials. If all goes well we might know in about four to five years whether this is something we can rely on and disseminate to the general public, he says.
Psychopharmacological Intervention In Depression
Plasticity helps the brain recover from damage caused by events such as strokes or head trauma. Plasticity implies the ability to manipulate specific neural pathways and synapses, to receive new functions and implications through psychotherapeutic or psychopharmacological interventions.
Studies on brain adaptation demonstrate the existence of four major forms of functional neuroplasticity studied in humans: taking over the functions by the homologous area cross-reassignment extension of cortical mapping corresponding to a specific sensory or motor homunculuscompensatory masquerade.
The adaptation of the homologous zone supposes the assumption of the respective cognitive process will be taking over by the opposite hemisphere through a homologous region. Cross-reassignment appears when structures previously devoted to the processing of a particular type of sensory input now accept the receipt of that input through a new sensory mode. The extension of the brain map involves the enlargement of a functional region of the brain from close to close, by accumulating new performances of areas that previously did not deal with that function or mental process. Compensatory masquerade involves the allocation of a certain cognitive process to a new area of the brain that previously did not perform those tasks.
Why Depression Is Serious
There are many types of depression, including major depression, persistent depressive disorder , as well as situational types such as seasonal affective disorder and postpartum depression.
Our understanding of depression is really evolving in medicine. We used to lump everyone into the category of major depression, but within the past 10 years or so weve realized that not everyone falls into that bucket, says Patricia Areán, a clinical psychologist and professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UW School of Medicine.
Anyone of any age, gender, race, ability or cultural background can develop depression. And its a serious problem: Over the past decades, suicides have increased in the United States, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Additionally, The World Health Organization lists depression as a leading cause of disability worldwide.
Depression doesnt just cause absenteeism, but presenteeism, where youre present but you cant function well, youre having a hard time focusing and the quality of work isnt good, but you still show up because you dont feel comfortable calling in sick, Areán says.
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How Does Depression Affect The Brain
It is not unusual to become depressed after stressful experiences. When something happens, your brain controls your psychological and behavioral responses by evaluating how threatening an event is. The way your brain reacts to stress is usually essential for your survival, because it gives you extra energy to fight or flee from dangerous situations. However, if brain chemical levels that increase during stressful situations stay elevated for a long period, it may cause problems such as depression. Depression can make a person feel sad and even cause damages to the brain.
Changes In Neural Connectivity
The brain operates as a system of networks connecting brain regions in multiple ways. Changes in connectivity between brain regions can lead to the development of depression symptoms.
Utilizing neural connectivity to the patients advantage, medical device treatments such as Deep TMS technology helps relieve depression symptoms by impacting the brains natural plasticity. Over time, the Deep TMS procedure is able to produce significant results, as patients attest to decreased depression symptom severity and frequency.
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Depression Treatments On The Horizon
Researchers are studying other molecular pathways in the brain to see their role in depression. It may be that rather than a simple deficiency in one specific brain chemical being the causative factor, some depression symptoms could be related to the relative levels of each type of neurotransmitter in different brain regions.
Rather than being a simple equation of some unknown factor causing low levels of one or more neurotransmitters and these low levels creating the symptoms of depression, the actual basis of depression is much more complex.
While this complexity is often evident to people living with depression, medical professionals and researchers are still trying to understand the intricate nature of diagnosing and treating the condition.
For example, in addition to the role of neurotransmitters, we know there are multiple factors involved in causing depression ranging from genetic factors and childhood experiences to our present day-to-day lives and relationships. Even inflammation is being explored as a potential contributing factor.
Can Brain Changes Be Reversed
Knowing how does depression affect the brain is important, but it is equally important to know if you can reverse those changes. Fortunately, it is possible to reverse those changes with the help of proper treatment for depression.
1. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise improves mental health by boosting the production of “feel good” hormones and normalizing insulin resistance in the body. It also helps boost neurotransmitters that are directly associated with mood control, such as serotonin, endorphins, glutamate, dopamine, and GABA . You can also eliminate stress chemicals through regular exercise. Moreover, it helps increase the volume of gray matter in hippocampus, which can improve the brain’s ability to produce new cells, thus reversing the damage done to your hippocampus.
2. Pay Attention to Your Diet
How does depression affect the brain? Now you know the answer, then how to reverse the brain changes? What you eat can affect the way your brain works. If you are already under stress, eating wrong types of foods is only going to make matters worse. Many people tend to overeat when they are depressed, so you need to keep an eye on how much you eat. Include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, and some best choices are tuna and salmon. Similarly, foods that contain folic acid such as avocado and spinach may also help ease depression.
3. Get Enough Sleep
4. Do Not Ignore Your Responsibilities
5. Overcome Negative Thoughts
6. Keep Yourself Busy
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Changes In Structure And Connection
There are many components to our brains. Shrinkage is one example of how the areas of the brain can change structurally. However, depression can also affect the brain by increasing the size of certain areas or changing their shape. Because of this, how the areas of the brain interact and communicate with each other can be altered by depression.
Changes in the structure of the brain due to depression usually takes at least 8 months to become apparent. These changes can result in long-lasting or permanent shifts in memory, attention, mood, and emotions–even after a major depressive episode has ended.
The Role Of Key Neurotransmitters
The three neurotransmitters that are often implicated in depression are:
Other neurotransmitters can send messages in the brain, including glutamate, GABA, and acetylcholine. Researchers are still learning about the role these brain chemicals play in depression and other conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and fibromyalgia.
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Biological Processes That Impact Brain Functioning
Research has long validated the connection between physical and mental health, which is why psychological disorders so often have physical symptoms as well. Depression brain chemistry plays a role in inflammation, neuroplasticity, and hypoxia, three biological processes associated with depression symptoms.
Susceptibility To Physical Health Issues And Illness
Stress hormones make your heart beat faster as if youre constantly in danger. Because your heart isnt meant to beat at high speeds for extended periods, this could lead to a life-threatening heart illness in the future.
Depression also impacts your digestive systems health, especially if you binge eat or take antidepressant medications. If you rapidly gain weight during a depressive episode, youre more likely to develop diseases closely tied to obesity, like diabetes. Conversely, depression may also cause someone to lose their appetite for food and experience rapid weight loss, which can be equally harmful to the body.
Some people may use drugs or alcohol as a way to deal with their symptoms of depression, leading to substance use disorders. In some cases, this substance abuse issue can develop into life-threatening addictions.
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Structural Changes During Depression
Recent studies have analyzed structural changes in the physical makeup of brains with depression. One change these studies detected was the shrinking of the hippocampus in patients who were depressed.
When your hippocampus gets smaller, you might struggle with executive functioning skills. You might also have trouble concentrating or making decisions.
Another study showed that hippocampus damage can affect your imagination, creativity, and social skills. This can have a significant impact on your ability to carry out daily tasks.
Negative impacts on the thalamus can affect higher level functions like talking and learning. Prolonged depression can also impact our sleeping patterns and the ability to process sensory information.
In patients with depression, the amygdala is also affected. Some studies have shown increased activity in the amygdala during depression. This can indicate a high level of anxiety and fear.
The amygdala helps organize your emotional responses to stressful events. When this region is too active, it might be hard to control your emotional response to triggers.
Finally, depression can have a major impact on communication between your nerve cells. Neurons might send too much information. Or they might become oversensitive to all the signals coming in and out.
New technologies bring promise to address these issues. These devices can help restore normal brain communication and function. One promising option in this arena is TMS.
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Subcortical Abnormalities Of The White Matter
Until recently, studies focused mainly on gray matter in the depression neurocircuit, neglecting connections to the subcortical white matter. Abnormalities at this subcortical level have been described in depressed elderly people , which initially led to the idea that it is a neurological problem associated with ischemic vascular pathology. MRI signal show that in the prefrontal area there are many hyperdensities of white matter, being associated with low metabolism in the frontal lobe and cortical atrophy . Opposition disorder present in childhood is considered to be associated with low structural connectivity of several white matter neural tracts located at the following levels: corpus callosum, hooked bundle, cingulum, fornix, upper longitudinal bundle, lower longitudinal bundle, inferior fronto-occipital bundle. We find the anomalies described above in both children and adolescents and adults. Of all, the decrease in the integrity of the corpus callosum is the most consistent finding. The corpus callosum is a broad commissure fiber, which connects the cortical cortex of the two hemispheres, having a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of interhemispheric communication in terms of processing higher cognitive functions but also processing perception and arousal, as well as everything that means emotionalmotivationalvolitional regulation. The corpus callosum integrity decreases in people who experienced opposition disorder or early depression .
How Does Your Brain Change From Depression
What does depression do to the brain? Unfortunately, this question isnt easily answered, because the effects of depression on the brain can be quite complex. Whats more, they continue to be studied, since we dont understand everything there is to know about the relationship between our brains and depression. Even though researchers have more to learn about the cause, effect, and correlation between the brain and depression, they have been able to establish a foundational understanding of how depression affects the brain.
In short, depression is broadly associated with brain inflammation. But we dont yet know if depression causes brain inflammation, or if its the opposite that the inflammation is causing depression.
Researchers have been able to determine that depression directly impacts multiple areas of the brain, most of which are affected by a loss of gray matter volume . Gray matter is a type of brain material thats dense with cells and needed for strong brain activity.
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Quick Read How Depression Affects Your Body And Mind
- Depression is a serious but relatively common mental illness.
- Anyone can develop depression, and it is a leading cause of disability worldwide.
- Brain chemical imbalances may contribute to depression.
- Other brain areas, such as the hippocampus, are involved as well.
- Symptoms include tiredness, appetite changes and lack of energy and pleasure.
- There is no cure for depression, but it is treatable with medications and therapy.
One thing we often dont recognize about mental health issues is that they affect so much more than the mind. Depression is no exception.
From sleep and eating to cognition and motivation, depression can affect most aspects of someones life.
More Than Sad: Depression Affects Your Ability To Think
- By James Cartreine, PhD, Contributing Editor
ARCHIVED CONTENT: As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date each article was posted or last reviewed. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
When you think of clinical depression, you probably think of feeling sad and down for long periods of time losing your energy and your interest in things you used to enjoy sleeping too much or too little, or eating too much or too little. But besides these, depression can actually change your ability to think. It can impair your attention and memory, as well as your information processing and decision-making skills. It can also lower your cognitive flexibility and executive functioning .
For people with severe depression, medications can provide some relief of low mood and energy, bolster the motivation to engage in enjoyable and important activities, and help people return to normal sleeping and eating patterns.
But we dont know whether antidepressant medications treat cognitive impairment related to depression. Recently, an international research team attempted to answer this question as part of a larger study on depression treatment. Their results were published in The Lancet last month.
About the Author
James Cartreine, PhD, Contributing Editor
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Chronic Depression Shrinks Brain’s Memories And Emotions
Global study finds the more episodes of depression, the greater the reduction in hippocampus size, but it was very likely damage was reversible
The hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory and emotion, shrinks in people with recurrent and poorly treated depression, a global study has found.
The findings highlighted the importance of treating depression early, particularly in teenagers and young adults, the study concluded.
Fifteen research institutes around the world, including from the US, Europe and Australia, collaborated to combine the results of their existing, smaller studies comparing the hippocampuses of depressed and healthy people.
This allowed them to examine the brain magnetic resonance imaging data of 8,927 people, 1,728 of whom had major depression and the rest of whom were healthy.
The researchers found 65% of the depressed study participants had recurrent depression and it was these people who had a smaller hippocampus, which is near the centre of the brain and is involved with long-term memory, forming new memories, and connecting emotions to those memories.
The findings of the largest international study to compare brain volumes in people with and without major depression were published in the medical journal Molecular Psychiatry.
But the more episodes of depression a person had, the greater the reduction in hippocampus size, he said.
But there was good evidence that with treatment, the damage was reversible, he said.
What Happens To The Brain During Depression
Mental health conditions like depression can change your brain chemistry. If you want to have a better grasp on your mental state and what kind of treatment you need, you must understand how your brain reacts to depression.
In this overview, we cover key health information on the effects of depression on your brain and how these translate to changes in both mental and physical health.
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Conclusion And Future Direction
In vivo MRI scans have made great achievements in the study of psychiatric disorders, which have resulted in the dawn of the understanding of the pathophysiology of psychosis, especially of MDD. Many brain region alterations have been reported, and some crucial circuits have also been revealed via imaging studies. The discovery of brain network put forward new ideas in the understanding of the disease of depression, providing effective stimulation sites and efficacy evaluations for the commonly used transcranial magnetic stimulation or deep brain stimulation techniques. In addition, these findings also suggest that MDD is not only due to local lesions but is also a multiloop disorder. However, previous studies still had limitations, and more research is needed in the future. First, most of the studies mentioned small sample sizes, which could have increased the falsepositive and falsenegative rates of the results. Therefore, multicenter cooperation not only would solve this problem of sample content but also could result in more indepth research. Second, the identification of significant lesions relies on longterm followups and the comparison of treated and nontreated patients. Future studies need to conduct longitudinal studies with larger samples. Moreover, using animal experiments to verify the neuroimaging findings and applying the results to humans is very important and will be a big step in the application of neuroimaging to the clinical field.