4 ways whose depression affects brain health

It is well known that depression can be ravaged on your mental health, but did you know that this can also affect other aspects of brain health? “People with depression have differences in their brain as revealed by neuroimaging,” said Avigail Lev, Psyd, a clinical psychologist at Bay Area CBT Center in California. Research shows that, over long periods, these physical changes in the brain caused by depression could cause changes in the functioning of the brain. For example, these modifications can make more difficult for someone to concentrate and complete their usual work or personal responsibilities or to rely on his memory over time. This can cause additional stress or frustration in everyday life. So how does depression exactly change the brain? Here are four ways, according to experts. 1. Depression can shrink certain parts of the brain, which leads to memory problems “depression can be wreaking havoc on your memory, and it is not only a question of forgetting”, explains Brent Nelson, MD, an interventional psychiatrist for adults and director of medical information to Prérier, a division of Newport Healthcare in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The problem with depression and memory is not so much memory loss but obstacles to storage, consolidation and recovery of memories, explains Dr Lev. The link between memory problems and depression can be linked to changes in the brain. The hippocampus, part of the brain which can be modified by depression, is essential to form memories, explains Dr. Nelson. “Studies have shown that the hippocampus can decrease in size and active in people with long-standing depression,” he said. The narrowing of the hippocampus can be linked to cortisol, a hormone released by the body in response to stress. “Chronic stress and high cortisol levels associated with depression can also contribute to hippocampal changes, resulting in memory effects,” explains Nelson. More specifically, research shows that the hippocampus is the most exposed brain at high concentrations of cortisol. Long -term stress can lead neurons (brain cells) to the hippocampus to die, resulting in a hippocampal narrowing, according to the same research. Researchers always learn if the release of cortisol itself by the body or deregulation with the liberation of cortisol by the body is what leads the hippocampus to shrink. 2. Depression can contribute to inflammation, which can affect the health of the brain “There is good evidence that depression contributes to inflammation and, in general, depressed persons have higher inflammation levels than people who are not depressed,” explains James C. Jackson, PsyD, Director of Behavioral Health at the Center for USI in Nashville, Tennessee. A theory to explain why people with depression have higher levels of inflammation is that stress can cause changes in the immune system. This can contribute to an increased inflammatory response of the central nervous system, which could in turn contribute to the development of depression, according to a review published in October 2021 in the Journal of Clinical Neurology. Researchers do not yet know exactly how the brain’s response to inflammation affects its networks – and if it is depression causing inflammation or vice versa. One hypothesis is that the inflammation caused by chronic stress disrupts the neuronal routes (connected brain cells which send signals from one brain to another), potentially contributing to depression. “Inflammation is harmful to the brain and probably contributes to harmful effects,” said Dr. Jackson. But the amount of depression contributes to inflammation compared to the opposite is still not known, he adds. 3. Depression can change the prefrontal cortex, which can make it more difficult to pay attention and concentrate “executive functions, such as planning, decision -making and problem solving, can also be altered by depression, leading to difficulties in daily life and work,” adds Nelson. “This is often due to a dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex, a region of the key brain for executive functions.” Changes in the prefrontal cortex can also affect mood, motivation and attention among people with depression, according to a review published in SNC neuroscience and therapies. According to the same review, the prefrontal areas of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, experience significant decreases of thickness over time in people with depression. When this happens, people with depression may experience executive dysfunction, which means that a person’s ability to manage their emotions, thoughts and actions is disturbed. Executive dysfunction can also have an impact on attention and concentration, explains Jackson. 4. The effects of depression on the prefrontal cortex can lead to a slower treatment speed although the effects of depression on the processing speed – “the speed at which you answer questions, the speed at which you engage in conversation, the duration of the duration to remember the name of someone”, explains Jackson – are not often discussed, these effects can have deep daily implications on someone’s life. In a study published in 2019 in progress in neuro-psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry, the researchers gave neuropsychological tests to 106 people suffering from current major depression, 119 people suffering from major depression (which means that symptoms have soothed), and 120 controls without major depression, in order to study how depression learning and memory. The results have shown that people with current major depression had a slower treatment speed compared to the two people with depression and major witnesses. Among those who have difficulties in processing, attention and concentration speed, the prefrontal cortex tends to show reductions in global activity as well as reductions in synchronization with other regions, which means that different parts of the brain may not work together both on complex tasks, explains Nelson. Are the cerebral health effects of depression permanent? Researchers do not yet know with certainty if the effects of chronic depression on the brain are permanent. But seeking professional treatment for depression – or stick to your treatment, if you have already obtained help – can not only help you feel better emotionally, but it can also improve brain health and cognitive well -being. “The good news is that the treatment can make a significant difference,” explains Nelson. “Therapy, in particular cognitive behavioral therapy (TCC), helps individuals to develop strategies to fight against rumination and models of negative thinking.” If you think you are suffering from depression, know that looking for early treatment can help avoid some of the healthy health effects before they occur, Jackson explains. The potential signs and symptoms of depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, include: a sad, anxious or empty mood that will not disappear without irritable, frustrated or agitated despair by losing many things for the things you have used to isolate yourself from your friends and the family having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much or much more problems Do not have another medical explanation losing your desire for sex or intimacy using alcohol or drugs more frequently having suicidal thoughts or behaviors if you or a loved one consider suicide, dial the 988 to reach suicide and life of crisis, which is available 24 hours a week, seven days a week.