For the first time, scientists found the brain area that causes depression

It seems that soon, depression will no longer be a serious illness. We will be able to treat it much more effectively than the present.

Many people also know how depression has become a serious disease. Anyone can get depressed, and if the disease lasts longer, the condition will get worse, making it easier for the sick person to destroy himself and, most seriously, suicide.

The current treatment of depression depends heavily on the drug. However, the rate of successful depression treatment is usually only 50%, which brings terrible side effects. In other words, depression does not have any effective treatment.

Depression is a dangerous disease.

But according to a recent study, we already have hope. Neuroscientists have pointed out the area of ​​the brain responsible for feelings of anxiety and depression, thus opening a completely different door to the world medical industry.

Specifically, experts from MIT did some tests on the brains of some animals. They realized that when stimulating the emotional control area in the brain is caudate nucleus , they will always make adverse and very negative choices in situations that come later.

Such negative choices continue to happen within 1 day, even after stopping brain stimulation.

"It seems we have found the cause of anxiety, depression, or both," said Ann Graybiel, research author from MIT.

"These are extremely difficult psychological problems today."

Tail area in the brain (reddened).

According to Graybiel, the team wanted to recreate the usual effect in people with depression or anxiety disorder in animals. These subjects always tend to make negative decisions and choices in situations that are encountered.

To achieve that result, they stimulated the caudal region of some animals with a small electric current. More specifically, animals will be put in a situation where they have to choose: drinking fruit juice with a penalty is the strong wind blowing in the face, or not drinking and nothing.

In each test, the reward / punishment rate fluctuates. When the reward is large enough, they will try to bear the penalty to receive. When the rewards are too small, they will refuse to drink anymore.

But that is with normal individuals. After stimulating the tail area, they did not choose any more, no matter how big the reward was. According to experts, it seems that stimulating this brain region has caused them to have a negative view of rewards, no longer trying to try - a common symptom in depressed people.

Neurologists have shown that the brain region is responsible for feelings of anxiety and depression.

Dr. Graybiel said that he is now continuing to work with hospitals, to see what has just been found to be true to the human brain. They will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to see if there is an abnormality in the caudal portion of the brain in patients with depression.

If so, it is likely that we will enter a medical revolution where depression can be treated effectively.

The study was published in the journal Neuron.