According to research, depression affects young and adult brains differently

Researchers from the US, China, the UK, and Australia have revealed that the effects of depression on young people differ from those on adults.

In the study, whose findings were published in the journal 'Nature Mental Health', scientists from the US, China, the UK, and Australia examined the brains of 810 people aged 12-25, 440 of whom had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder.

The researchers compared the brain scans of those diagnosed with depression with the brains of the remaining 370 healthy individuals.

Stating that there were some disruptions in the communication between brain regions in young people diagnosed with depression, the researchers noted that these disruptions were different from those observed in adults.

The researchers also reported that the extent of these differences could be used to predict an individual's level of depression.

According to WHO data, 5 percent of the world's population struggles with depression

DEPRESSION TREATMENT PROCESS SHOULD BE DIFFERENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS

Stating that the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) procedure used in depression treatment is used as a common treatment method because the locations of disruptions in the brains of adult patients are known, the researchers noted that this is not the case for young people.

The researchers stated that this study helps in identifying disruptions in the brains of young people diagnosed with depression.

One of the authors of the study, Prof. Dr. Andrew Zalesky from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne in Australia, commented, 'While there is some overlap with the connectivity disorders we see in adults, there are also unique circuit disorders that we only see in young people with depression.'

Professor Zalesky stated that studies are needed to test the effectiveness and safety of brain stimulation methods used in depression treatment, such as TMS, before they can be widely used in the treatment of young people.

News Source: AA