The Effect of Depression on Brain Function
Did you know depression could be "cured" by exposing yourself to sunlight?
The brain is composed of brain cells called neurons. There are about 10 billion neurons in a person’s brain. Said to be the center of the central nervous system (CNS), the brain recognizes emotions and feelings by a person. The brain also reacts to these stimuli that can make us happy, sad or depressed.
Depression is one common emotion that most people feel at some point in their lives. You may have a first-hand experienced about this too. But what is depression? What causes depression and what is its effect on brain function?
Depression is a state of being sad due to events that happened in one’s life or due to unknown etiology. You can feel depressed without any reason at all.
What may be the causes of depression?
A question of whether depression affects brain chemistry or that brain chemistry affects the secretion of substances is slowly being unraveled by researches and studies. Common knowledge endorses that major changes in one’s life like a transfer of residence, a death in the family, a separation and many other occurrences. These are the emotional causes of depression.
Serotonin and the brain
Physiologically, low levels of serotonin, a monoamine neurotransmitter essential for proper brain function, are shown to have caused depression. Serotonin is usually enhanced by natural or artificial light that is why more people are depressed during winter than in summer.
People who are depressed because of low serotonin can be “cured” by subjecting them to sunlight or artificial light. This has been effective in lifting the moods of depressed persons.
According to a recent study conducted by Dr. Philip Gorwood, et al entitled,” Toxic Effects of Depression on Brain Function: Impairment of Delayed Recall and the Cumulative Length of Depressive Disorder in a Large Sample of Depressed Outpatients.”
Quote ”that there is a toxic link between the burden of depression and cognition.” This finding has important implications for public health. “ Unquote
Cortisol and the brain
Cortisol is a hormonal substance that is elevated when a person is depressed. This is because when a person is anxious or depressed the secretion of this hormone is increased because of stress. Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal cortex in the adrenal glands. The secretion of cortisol in the adrenal glands is in turn controlled by corticotrophin releasing factor or CRF, which is found in the hypothalamus. That is why chronic types of anxiety disorders cause changes in the chemical structure of the brain. It also results to block cranial arteries and eventual shrinking of the brain.
With these data, it is clear that depression and chronic anxiety disorders do affect the brain structure and chemistry. Living a healthy lifestyle is the key to a properly functioning brain. Get sufficient sunshine or artificial light exposure to maintain normal levels of serotonin. Allow the body to relax to lower the levels of your cortisol. Being aware of these facts would help a lot in keeping your brain healthy and functioning properly. Live right and think right.
Photo by DieselDemon
