Untreated Depression May Cause Lasting Changes In Brain

Depression is a debilitating disorder that is a leading cause of disability in Americans 15 to 44 years old. Women are more likely to suffer from this mental illness than men, but symptoms vary.

While depression in women manifests itself as feelings of guilt, hopelessness, and sadness, the most common symptoms in men are anger, fatigue, and irritability. To fight off with depression you can also visit https://edupression.com/.

Although depression is not a degenerative brain disease, a new study by researchers from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) found that depression develops over time and causes changes in the brain, suggesting that the most common mental illness must be present in everyone.

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The research was conducted by Dr. Jeff Meyer, who found that people with depression that lasted more than a decade had higher rates of brain inflammation than people with untreated depression for less than a decade.

The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, is the first of its kind to suggest that depression is a non-static disorder like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.

The role of activation of microglia and translocator proteins

The researchers recruited subjects between the ages of 18 and 75 who were divided into major depression (MDD) and a healthy control group.

They examined microglia activation (an important part of nerve inflammation) and total volume of distribution of the translocator protein (TSPO), which are markers of microglia activation.

They compared it to the total duration of illness and untreated illness and exposure to antidepressants.