Can Depression Be Predicted? How Does It ‘Remap’ Major Brain Network? Study Explained
The study found that a network called the ‘frontostriatal salience network’ was expanded in people with depression. This salience network is responsible for focusing on relevant stimuli entering the brain and regulating body’s emotional response to them
In modern societies, where 25% of people suffer from depression, a new research shows changes in the brain network could be detected even before people show any symptom. This means researchers will be able to predict who might develop depression and who probably will not.
The new study has found that depression changes internal communications in the brain, regardless of whether people feel depressed or not. Through brain imaging method called fMRI, researchers found that depression “remaps" a major brain network involved in motivation and attention.
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“The key finding is an expansion of the percentage of the cortex, which is occupied by a brain network called the salience network. This is novel because it was not recognized that clinical conditions like depression could expand brain networks before," Deutsche Welle quoted Jonathan Roiser, a neuroscientist and depression expert at University College London, UK, who was not involved in the study, as saying.
What Does The Study Reveal?
The study published in the Nature journal found that a network called the ‘frontostriatal salience network’ was expanded in participants with depression compared to healthy ones. This salience network is responsible for focusing on relevant stimuli entering the brain and regulating a body’s emotional response to them.
The salience network is a crucial decision-making hub of a brain that sifts through a constant stream of sensory information, thoughts and emotions to prioritise what deserves immediate attention.
The study analysed the brain activity in 141 people with depression and 37 people with it, to understand how it changes the way regions in the brain communicate with one another.
The evidence of salience network enlargement as an indicator could predict whether people could develop depression later in life, the study said. Children in 10-12 age group, who had enlarged salience network, developed depression in adolescence.
The findings by Klein-Flügge revealed that the strength of the salience network was correlated with some symptoms of depression, especially those related to the loss of pleasure and motivation.
The study, however, could not detect whether changes in the salience network were linked to any particular psychological experiences or depressive thoughts, according to Emily Hird, another neuroscientist at University College London.
What Do Brain Networks Expand Into?
The salience networks intrude into other brain region that a key role in deciding to exert effort. That’s why people with depression are reluctant to engage in tasks requiring efforts.
Because the enlargement of the salience network was so stable and predictable in people with depression, Klein-Flügge suggested it could be used as a new potential “biomarker" for depression in the future.
A biomarker is a measurable way for physicians to detect a disease or disorder in patients—like an antigen test for Covid-19.
The research also concludes that exercise is effective as anti-depressant drugs or psychotherapy in depression.
Six Types Of Depression Identified
According to a study by Stanford Medicine, the six biotypes of depression include one characterised by hyperactivity in cognitive regions, which was associated with more anxiety, negative bias. Another type was marked by higher levels of brain connectivity in three regions associated with depression and problem-solving.
The third is characterized by high emotional reactivity, meaning the brains of participants in this group were more affected by emotional inputs.
One other biotype was associated with lower activity in cognitive brain regions and less connectivity in emotional regions, meaning these participants had difficulty responding to cognitive information and regulating negative emotions.
The last two types did not respond to the medications or therapy, which suggests other options may be needed for people with those types, said Dr. Leanne Williams, the study’s senior author and the Vincent V.C. Woo Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California.
The authors used data from 801 adult participants who were previously diagnosed with depression or anxiety, and 137 healthy control group participants.
Depression In India
According to the World Health Organization, depression affects over 300 million people globally, and it is predicted to be the leading cause of disability by 2030. Recent studies indicate that depression rates are increasing among young people in India with prevalence rates ranging from 31% to 57%.
Unicef also reports that one out of seven young people between the ages of 15 to 24 in India always feels depressed or has little interest in doing things.
According to researchers, there are a number of factors associated with depression in Indian youth. Some of them are genetic and biological, such as family history of depression and alterations in brain chemistry and /or environmental and social factors, such as academic pressure, parental expectations, social media, changing societal norms, exposure to stress or trauma, social isolation, family conflicts and economic hardship.
In addition, the Indian society views mental health as a stigma, which can prevent individuals from seeking help or treatment, exacerbating the problem.
It is seen that early intervention and support can improve the mental health and overall quality of life of an individual.
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