Why depression makes us over-think

Why depression makes us over-think

By Liz Lockhart

 It is common for many of us to think about a problem from many different angles but, brooding or ruminating can become unproductive or detrimental to making good life choices.

For individuals who suffer from depression, non-productive thoughts are common and can be simply annoying or downright paralyzing.  People with depression often ruminate about being depressed.  This type of rumination can be either passive or maladaptive (worrying) or active and solution-based (coping).

Researchers from Stanford University attempted to determine how these types of rumination are represented in the brains of depressed.  This study and the findings are published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Two distinct and competing neural networks are responsible for the different types of ruminations scientists discovered.

The task positive network (TPN) underlies active thinking which is required for solving problems whilst the default mode network (DMN) supports passive, self-related thought said the study author J. Paul Hamilton, PhD.

Hamilton and his colleagues used brain imaging technology and found that, in depressed patients, increasing levels of activity in the DMN relative to the TPN are associated with higher levels of maladaptive, depressive rumination as well as lower levels of adaptive, reflective rumination.

This indicates that the DMN and TPN interact in depression to promote depression-related thinking, with stronger DMN influence associated with more worrying, less effective coping, and more severe depression.

‘It makes sense that non-productive ruminations would engage default-mode networks in the brain as these systems enable the brain to ‘idle’ when humans are not focused on specific tasks,’ said Dr. John Krystal , editor o Biological Psychiatry

‘Better understanding the factors that control the switch between these modes of function may provide insights into depression and its treatment,’ Krystal concluded.

 

Source: Elsevier

  

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