A large-scale study has shown that depression disrupts the process of neurogenesis in the hippocampus, reports the website infohub.kz.
Researchers at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have for the first time found evidence that the birth of new nerve cells is halted in the brains of adults with major depressive disorder. Previously, it was thought that depression was solely linked to a deficiency of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. However, the new data confirm that the disease reduces the brain's flexibility and its ability to adapt to stress.
The scientists focused on the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for episodic memory and emotional responses. The formation of new neurons is vital for so-called pattern separation, the brain's ability to distinguish current experiences from past painful memories. When this process is disrupted, a person begins to perceive neutral everyday events exclusively in a negative context, mixing them with previous traumas.
In the study, the researchers analyzed about half a million brain cells from deceased donors with and without depressive disorder. The analysis revealed extensive molecular disruptions in the hippocampal neural circuit, as well as signs of inflammation. In the future, the scientists hope to classify types of depression by their molecular characteristics, which could help develop fundamentally new therapeutic approaches.