In a new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers suggest that teen girls who have a family history of depression process loss and punishment differently than girls who are not predisposed.
In the study, two groups were given an MRI as they completed tasks that gave them a reward or punishment. One group was teen girls who had a close family member with some type of depression and the other group of teen girls didn’t have a family history of the mental disorder. The girls who had a close family member with depression seemed to lack activation in the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex, which is the area of the brain that controls how you view past experiences. How you view these past experiences (whether positive or negative) affects how you learn new information.
The study also identified that the high-risk group paid more attention and responded more to the punishments rather than the rewards (unlike the low risk group). Suggesting that girls, who are at risk for depression, do not respond to rewards the same as other teen girls, which could contribute to depression development.
Further Explanation
Some people are naturally optimistic. They see the good in things and don’t focus on the negative as much. However, people who are depressed will hang on to the negativity and let it affect them much more than the optimistic people. All of this negativity and “punishment” brings people down after awhile, which can lead to depression. This study shows you that people don’t necessarily choose to be pessimistic; rather, it can just be the result of another brain activity gone wrong.
Photo: Noize Photography
Fri, Apr 9, 2010
Mental Health