Depression may change brain structure:Study

In a new study, researcher have found, that an individual person suffering from depression is more likely to be at a risk of developing changes in the structure of the brain associated with communication and thinking skills.

This change  in the brain structure is found in a specific area known as white matter,which contains fibre tracts that enable brain cells to communicate.

White matter is an important part of brain's wiring and any change in this is linked to all problems with emotion processing and thinking skills.Those who suffers from depression, research found that their brains white matter integrity-a quality of the matter reduces.

People all over the world are affected by depression and this study is again a wake up call. People should seriously take a note of depression, it can be detected through some symptoms like, low mood, feeling of emptiness, exhaustion and anxiety. For the study,published in Scientific Reports, team analysed 3461 people, in thisthey use MRI based neuroimaging technique to map the structure of white matter.

Senior research fellow Heather Whalley of University of Edinburgh said "Our next step will be to look at how the absence of changes in the brain relates to better protectionfrom distress and low mood".