Depression is correlated with atrophy of neurons in the cortical and limbic brain regions that control mood and emotion. Antidepressant therapy can exhibit effects on neuroplasticity and reverse the neuroanatomical changes found in depressed patients.
Depression treatments have the ability to rewire the human brain, according to a study that calls into question the belief that the structure of the adult brain is generally rigid.
Exercise. Many studies show that exercise - aerobic, resistance and mind-body - all improve symptoms and severity of depression. Exercise reshapes the depressed brain, somehow activating the function of related brain areas.
In some people, the brain rewiring process can take a month. In others, it can take several months. The good news is that the human nervous system is neuroplastic, meaning it can change for the worse and the better. Brains that have been harmed by substance abuse can unlearn the negative behaviors.
If we want to develop new habits of thinking, feeling, and/or behaving, we can consciously rewire our brains. At first this intentional rewiring might feel strange, like we are trying to change who we are, because our habitual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors have come to feel like us.
There's growing evidence that several parts of the brain shrink in people with depression. Specifically, these areas lose gray matter volume (GMV). That's tissue with a lot of brain cells. GMV loss seems to be higher in people who have regular or ongoing depression with serious symptoms.
The serotonin hypothesis says that depression is caused by not enough of a chemical messenger called serotonin in the brain.
Low dopamine levels make people and animal models less likely to work toward achieving a goal. People with clinical depression often have increased levels of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), an enzyme that breaks down key neurotransmitters, resulting in very low levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
Dysthymia is a milder, but long-lasting form of depression. It's also called persistent depressive disorder. People with this condition may also have bouts of major depression at times.
People who are depressed cannot simply “pull themselves together” and be cured. Without proper treatment, including antidepressants and/or psychotherapy, untreated clinical depression can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people with depression.
Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
There are recent findings regarding the effect of antidepressants on neuroplasticity, and specific findings that suggest that antidepressants reactivate the plasticity in the adult brain such that it is comparable to those of children.
Scientists now know that the brain has an amazing ability to change and heal itself in response to mental experience. This phenomenon, known as neuroplasticity, is considered to be one of the most important developments in modern science for our understanding of the brain.
Some people who have severe depression may also experience hallucinations and delusional thinking, the symptoms of psychosis. Depression with psychosis is known as psychotic depression.
Depression may cause the release of glucocorticoid in the brain, a type of steroid that can damage the hippocampus and other areas of the central nervous system. When this occurs, you may experience symptoms associated with neurocognitive disorder (dementia), such as memory loss.
What hormones cause depression? A drop in estrogen and progesterone may trigger depressive episodes. Increased levels of progesterone, such as through taking a progesterone-only contraceptive, may also increase the risk of depression in some people. Low testosterone levels may also cause depression.
Untreated episodes of clinical depression (major depressive disorder) can last six to 12 months. About two-thirds of people with clinical depression think about suicide.
Clinical depression has been linked to other mental illnesses, such as anxiety disorders, panic disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder. Together, these conditions affect millions of Americans. Fortunately, these disorders are treatable, and those affected can lead normal, productive lives.
A PET scan can compare brain activity during periods of depression (left) with normal brain activity (right). An increase of blue and green colors, along with decreased white and yellow areas, shows decreased brain activity due to depression.
Neuroplasticity is also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity. It's the brain's ability to reorganize and restructure itself on a cellular level. This reorganization allows our brains to adapt to changes.