"Brains Of Teen Girls Resilient To Depression Differ From Brains Of Others" - Nick Zagorski
While numerous studies have examined the risk factors that increase one’s chance of developing mental illness, fewer have explored the factors that might have a protective effect. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry offered clues about how the brains of adolescents who appear resilient to depression might differ from adolescents who develop depression. Adolescent girls who appeared resilient to depression had greater neural connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex compared with similarly-aged, at-risk adolescent girls who developed depression and those in the control group. The amygdala and prefrontal cortex are known to play a key role in processing and regulating emotions. Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that it might be a bit premature to think about therapeutic strategies centered on building resilience. “Is there an avenue for intervention? Absolutely,” she said. “But so far, we only have identified changes at a broad level, and we need to get down to the more fine-grained mechanics.” As an example, Dr. Frangou wondered if the underlying basis for mental resilience is not that some people can respond positively to adverse events and create stronger connections, but that others may lack the neural plasticity to do so.
- Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai