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Biology of Depression

The document summarizes various biological theories for the causes of major depressive disorder. It discusses how brain imaging has found altered activity in certain brain areas in depressed individuals. Factors that can contribute include nutritional deficiencies, situational stressors, and physical illnesses affecting neurotransmitters, neuroplasticity, circadian rhythms, inflammation, and more. Regions implicated include those involved in emotion regulation and reward processing, such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and striatum which are innervated by monoaminergic systems. Genetic factors are also relevant to depression according to various theories.

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69 views3 pages

Biology of Depression

The document summarizes various biological theories for the causes of major depressive disorder. It discusses how brain imaging has found altered activity in certain brain areas in depressed individuals. Factors that can contribute include nutritional deficiencies, situational stressors, and physical illnesses affecting neurotransmitters, neuroplasticity, circadian rhythms, inflammation, and more. Regions implicated include those involved in emotion regulation and reward processing, such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and striatum which are innervated by monoaminergic systems. Genetic factors are also relevant to depression according to various theories.

Uploaded by

arieljay naungan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Biology of

depression

Scientific studies have found that different brain areas show altered activity in people with major
depressive disorder (MDD), and this has encouraged advocates of various theories that seek to
identify a biochemical origin of the disease, as opposed to theories that emphasize
psychological or situational causes. Factors spanning these causative groups include nutritional
deficiencies in magnesium, vitamin D, and tryptophan with situational origin but biological
impact. Several theories concerning the biologically based cause of depression have been
suggested over the years, including theories revolving around monoamine neurotransmitters,
neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, inflammation and the circadian rhythm. Physical illnesses,
including hypothyroidism and mitochondrial disease, can also trigger depressive symptoms.[1][2]

Neural circuits implicated in depression include those involved in the generation and regulation
of emotion, as well as in reward. Abnormalities are commonly found in the lateral prefrontal
cortex whose putative function is generally considered to involve regulation of emotion. Regions
involved in the generation of emotion and reward such as the amygdala, anterior cingulate
cortex (ACC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and striatum are frequently implicated as well. These
regions are innervated by a monoaminergic nuclei, and tentative evidence suggests a potential
role for abnormal monoaminergic activity.[3][4]

Genetic factors
Circadian rhythm

Monoamines

Emotional processing and neural circuits

Neuroanatomy

Animal Models

Altered neuroplasticity

Inflammation

Oxidative stress

Large-scale brain network theory

See also

References

Further reading
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title=Biology_of_depression&oldid=1106087813"

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