You might have heard someone saying "I'm depressed " only because he/she is tired or feeling sad when depression is more tricky ,and it becomes so clear when you find out that in addition to behavior's changes and emotions perturbations ,it has some physical aspects as well. A depressed brain isn't like a healthy one .
Brain inflammation :
Hearing brain inflammation might lead you to think that you can feel pain , but it's not as you imagined. Instead it causes various symptoms, depending on the person such as unclear thoughts , low brain insurance, brain fatigue … which should be taken seriously because it can rapidly degenerate the brain , raising the risk of other brain degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's .
A lot of research are made to find out more about the relation between inflammation and depression, since it's not clear yet whether the depression causes inflammation which might be at higher levels or vice versa, but we know that depression is associated with a chronic,low-grade inflammatory response "which may reduce motivation to perform daily tasks"and activation of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) "most effective in destroying virus-infected cells , intracellular bacteria and cancers in addition to other roles", as well as activation of the compensatory anti-inflammatory reflex system(CIRS).
Exposure to previous depressive episodes may magnify the size of (CMI) and increase pro-inflammatory (PIC) responses, possibly increasing the likelihood of new depressive episodes. CMI activation and inflammation may contribute to the staging or recurrence of depression.
Also , depression acts as a stressor and may cause unhealthy lifestyle changes such as less exercise and a poor diet, which may ,in turn , increase adiposity and thus inflammatory markers.
As for the inflammation causing depression, according to the new research, it's only in people with very specific characteristics, some approaches were presented in "The Inflamed Mind: A Radical New Approach to Depression " Edward Bullmore Short (2018).
Hypoxia:
Known as reduced oxygen, which may be due to changes in breathing caused by depression, and so the link between depression and reduced oxygen in the body. As a result, we can find inflammation and injury to and death of brain cells. In turn, these changes in the brain impact learning, memory, and mood.
Some parts of the brain affected by depression:
The main subcortical limbic brain regions implicated in depression are the amygdala, hippocampus, and dorsomedial thalamus, both structural and functional abnormalities in these areas have been found in depression.
In the Amygdala region :
The influx of cortisol triggered by depression also causes the amygdala to enlarge. This is a part of the brain associated with emotional responses. When it becomes larger and more active, it causes sleep disturbances, changes in activity levels, and changes in other hormones.
In the Hippocampus region :
It releases the hormone cortisol when you're stressed, which includes episodes of depression. Yes, stress and depression are related; "The impact of stress on depression, and vice versa, is one of the most important problems of our times ", said Carol Landau, Ph.D., clinical professor at Brown University. When your brain gets flooded with cortisol for long periods of time, it can slow or stop the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus. This results in the hippocampus actually shrinking in size, which in turn leads to memory problems.
The latest research shows that the size of specific regions can decrease in people who experience depression. Researchers continue to debate which regions of the brain can shrink due to depression and by how much. The amount these areas shrink is linked to the severity and length the depressive episode lasts.
Can the brain recover after depression?
The question you might be asking yourself is whether the brain can recover and be back to normal. Well, a depressed person's brain does not function normally, but it can recover. Also, you can adopt some habits in your daily life which can protect you from some of these problems since they can save you from depression and other mental illnesses. Trying to control stress and asking for help when it's needed is also a way to protect yourself so don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it. The latest research (2021) proved Physical exercise improves the quality of life, depressive symptoms, and cognition across chronic brain disorders.
Hopefully, when people will start understanding that while depression can affect a person psychologically, it also has the potential to affect physical structures in the brain it would help us take mental health more seriously.
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