Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine have conducted one of the most extensive and detailed studies of depression-associated brain changes, with the results published in Nature Mental Health<\/i>. An analysis of data from over 23,000 scans showed that in individuals with depressive symptoms, changes manifest not only in areas responsible for emotion regulation, but also in motor and visual regions.<\/p>\n
Similarly to previous studies, scientists confirmed a reduction in gray matter volume in the frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and insula. These regions are responsible for emotion management, decision-making, and motivation. However, according to the research team leader, Janine Bijsterbosch, the most unexpected finding was the reduction of brain tissue volume precisely in motor and visual areas, as depressive symptoms are traditionally not associated with sensory processing and movement control.<\/p>\n
The new study also questioned certain hypotheses \u2014 for instance, scientists observed almost no marked changes in deep brain structures such as the amygdala and hippocampus. Scientists suggest that this discrepancy might be due to the fact that large population databases relatively rarely include patients with severe depression.<\/p>\n
According to the scientists, the results demonstrate that depression affects a much broader brain network than previously thought. The researchers are already planning further studies to determine how the changes identified in visual and motor regions relate to specific clinical symptoms of depression, which will contribute to the creation of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods in the future.<\/p>\n