Depression said to be linked to smaller hippocampus
Recent study has found people with recurrent depression have a smaller hippocampus.
The hippocampus is the part of them brain which forms new memories. It has recently been founds that people who have recurring depression were found to have a smaller hippocampus compared to people without depression. Dr Ian Hickie, co-director of the brain and mind research has stated: “This large study confirms the need to treat first episodes
of depression effectively, particularly in teenagers and young adults, to prevent
the brain changes that accompany recurrent depression"
The study was conducted by scholars at BMRI from the
University of Sydney. This study was classed as the largest international study
to compare the brain waves of people with and without depression. This study
has helped scientists to understand how to treat depression effectively when it
first occurs.
The researchers used MRI scans to study the brains of the
patients. They also collected data from 1728 people with major depression as
well as 7199 people who were healthy. The study includes people from Europe,
the US and Australia.
The study has shown that people with major depression,
during the first stages, have a smaller hippocampus than healthy people.
However people with the first episode of major depression didn't have smaller
hippocampus' than healthy people. This shows that the changes are caused
because of the gradual effect of depressive illness' on the brain.
