The major concern: Depression

 Depression, 

When we hear this word, there are definitely various thoughts rushing into our minds. Depression is not a mere overload of stress due to some reason. It actually is a mental illness which many of the young and adult people go through due to a variety of reasons.

Psychologically speaking, Depression is a mood disorder that involves a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It is different from the mood fluctuations that people regularly experience as a part of life.

Depression is an on-going problem, not a passing one. It consists of episodes during which the symptoms might last for at least 2 weeks. Depression can last for several weeks, months, or years.

 You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living.

More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply "snap out" of it. Depression may require long-term treatment.

But you’re not supposed to get discouraged. There are ways you can overcome this and eventually get rid of it also.

Knowing the facts behind how this is triggered in the brain is also important for people to be aware of. 

So talking about a bit of neurobiology in here,

Which part of the brain is associated with depression?

The main subcortical limbic brain regions implicated in depression are the amygdala, hippocampus, and the dorso-medial thalamus. Both structural and functional abnormalities in these areas have been found in depression.

 

Brain scans may redefine depression and help doctors target treatment.

Just as an electrocardiogram (EKG) shows the heart in action, a functional MRI shows the electrical activity of the brain.

A PET scan can compare brain activity during periods of depression (left) with normal brain activity (right). An increase of blue and green colours, along with decreased white and yellow areas, shows decreased brain activity due to depression.

 

So, this is how the wiring goes on;

Negative emotions trigger the amygdala, which in turn activates the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), therefore stress, via the hypothalamus.

HPA axis activation causes glucocorticoid release, reactivating amygdala. Therefore, chronic stress results in prioritising negative emotions and releasing more and more glucocorticoids, which lead to cell death in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

Depression has been associated with impaired mineralocorticoid receptor function, restrained glucocorticoid receptor feedback at the level of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, raised cortisol level and increased corticotropin-releasing factor activity, which may act in concert to induce the signs and symptoms of the disorder. Pre-clinical and clinical evidence suggests that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of these HPA axis abnormalities in depressed patients.

 Normalization of HPA function is critical for relief of the clinical symptomatology of this disorder.

Following posts will be about different types of depression, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and other related facts!

REFERENCES:

https://www.webmd.com/depression/ss/slideshow-depression-overview

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8933#treatment

https://www.slideshare.net/pluto_plato_pariah/neurobiology-of-depression-96732576