An overactive brain

An emotion-regulating brain circuit is overactive in people prone to depression, says new study.

Feeling depressed? Just blame it on your over active brain.

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A study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found that an emotion-regulating brain circuit is overactive in people prone to depression ,even when they are not depressed.

Researchers also discovered that even when in remission, most subjects with a history of mood disorders, experienced a temporary recurrence of symptoms when their brains were experimentally sapped of tryptophan, the neurotransmitter that is boosted by antidepressants.

Further the brain scans revealed that a key emotion-processing circuit was overactive only in patients in diminution irrespective of whether or not they had re-experienced symptoms .

Since the abnormal activity did not reflect on the mood state, the finding suggests that tryptophan depletion unmasks an inborn trait associated with depression.

"Since brain function appears to be disregulated even when patients are in remission, they need to continue long-term treatment beyond the symptomatic phase of their illness," noted Neumeister, MD, NIMH.

Due to its ability to reveal what appears to be a trait marker for major depressive disorder, the researchers have suggested that tryptophan depletion may be a useful tool for studying the genetic basis of depression.