The adult brain can be strengthened by years of strengthening neural connections. Resistant to drastic changes.Our brain structure could lead to us falling into dark moods and thoughts that can cause disorders like chronic DepressionIt can be very difficult to get rid of.
Research has shown that some people suffering from major depression disorder (MDD), such as myself, can have their brains “rewired” within weeks with the right treatment.
While antidepressants and behavioral therapy aren’t the best options for all MDD sufferers, electroconvulsive therapy is being studied in Germany. However, scientists have shown that these treatments can alter brain structures. It is unknown how long these changes will last.
MDD is a condition that affects people who have suffered from it. Many times, you have troubleControlling negative emotions and their physiological responses. Even the most enjoyable activities can become difficult under such conditions.
Brain imaging studies in the past have shown that serious depression is often associated with brain imaging. Variations in gray matter volume(made up of neuron body) White matter(made up nerve fibers). It is also associated to Increases in amygdala activityThis influences our emotional experiences Shrinkage in the hippocampusThe, which plays an important part in long-term memory and learning; The basal ganglia shrinksIt helps you process emotions.
MDD that is resistant to treatment, on the other hand, can be treated ChangesThe basal ganglia is located in the lobe that processes sensory data.
It could be a significant help in diagnosing and treating depression if there is a strong connection between the brain’s structure and its function.
Researchers disagree today on whether this link exists. Consistent or strong enoughYou can rely upon.
Researchers in Germany believe it is.
Their new study was presented at the 35th annual European College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Vienna. These findings indicate that MDD patients may have some structural brain characteristics that were reduced by successful antidepressant treatment.
Before they received treatment for depression, 109 MDD patients had their brains scanted using a scanner. Resonance imaging ( MRI) machine. Patients were then treated with anti-depressant medication or electroconvulsive therapy.
Six weeks later, patients were scanned again. The brain scans were then compared to those of 55 healthy patients.
The authors concluded that patients who showed the greatest improvements in symptoms also had the highest structural brain changes. After six weeks, connectivity between neurons in different parts of their brains had increased. This effect was independent of treatment.
“We were shocked at the speed of your response,” “Jonathan Repple, psychiatrist from the University of Frankfurt
“We don’t know how these changes occur or why they should occur with so many different treatment options.”
Randomized controlled trials show that Electroconvulsive therapy, Cognitive behavior therapy antidepressantsAlthough these can all be effective in reducing depressive symptoms, it is difficult to tie this improvement to brain structural changes.
ECT seems to be a very useful tool. The fastest and most efficientTreatment of the whole group is possible, but it can have more side effects. Scientists are still trying to find the best one.
ECT is a method that passes an electric current through a patient’s head while they are still under general anesthesia. in mouse studiesThe therapy appears to improve the communication between neurons in some parts of the brain. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University discovered new brain cells in the hippocampus from ECT-treated mice.
Similar results were found in human studies. For instance, ECT in 2015 was a record. The brain structures were’molded’ by this drug.Some MDD patients may have their neural connections reshaped in their amygdalas and hippocampus.
Antidepressant medications are, however, available. Neural plasticity is also known asThe hippocampus is located in the prefrontal cortex. CBT is also found there. Alternate brain activation is associatedThe prefrontal cortex and precuneusThis is related to memory and mental imagery.
These treatments for depression are evidence-based but not all of them work equally. They also don’t always result in the same level of structural brain changes.
The brain is a complex structure. Human emotions are also very intricate. Repple and other scientists have tried to put the two together, but it is difficult work.
Eric Ruhe (a psychiatrist) commends Repple for his hard work and praises his colleagues.
He “Although the study needs to be replicated in separate samples, the results “are very consistent with our current belief” that the brain is more flexible in adapting over time (even for a short period) than previously believed.
“This indicates that patients suffering from severe clinical depression have a brain structure that isn’t as stable as we thought. We can fix brain structure in a very short time, approximately 6 weeks.” explains Ruhe.
“This gives hope for patients who believe that nothing can change, and they have had to live with a condition forever, because it is’set into stone’ in their brains.”
The work was shown at 35th annual European College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Vienna.
