Now stress is called a shrink.
Yale: Stress Can Shrink Brain
Monday, August 13, 2012 7:51 AM
|
|
Can major stress and depression shrink
your brain? Disturbingly enough, a new study out of Yale indicates that
the answer may be "yes."
The Yale team found that there's a single
genetic switch, known as the transcription factor, that is needed for
brain synapses to connect with one another, according to the
university's website.
When these connections between synapses aren't made, brain mass can be lost in the prefrontal cortex, the researchers claim.
�We wanted to test the idea that stress
causes a loss of brain synapses in humans,� senior author Ronald Duman
said on Yale's website.
�We show that circuits normally involved in
emotion, as well as cognition, are disrupted when this single
transcription factor is activated.�
Although this isn't exactly the most
heartening news, it could potentially lead to good things for depression
and stress sufferers, says Yale, allowing doctors to identify gene
variations that could predispose people to depression and stress
disorders.
�We hope that by enhancing synaptic
connections, either with novel medications or behavioral therapy, we can
develop more effective antidepressant therapies,� said Ronald Duman.
Read more: Yale: Stress Can Shrink Brain
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.
No comments:
Post a Comment