Research can speed up the aging of your brain

Depression has been linked to different conditions in the past, such as dementia, arthritis and acne.

According to new research, the effects of depression such as erratic sleep patterns, loss of appetite and constant fatigue can have adverse effects on the brain, to the point of accelerating its aging.

As we get older, our memory and thinking abilities decline naturally, but depressed people may be more exposed to accelerated aging of the brain, scientists at Yale University said.

This means that depressed people may be more prone to age-related diseases, such as dementia.

Brain cells communicate by sending messages via connections called synapses. Generally, good cognition is linked to more and stronger synapses. With cognitive impairment, these junctions gradually shrink and die.

Scientists at Yale University found that living depressive patients had lower synapse density than healthy people of the same age.

And the fewer synapses you have, the more severe depressive symptoms you may experience, such as attention problems and loss of interest in enjoyable activities.

Yale neuroscientist Irina Esterlis has tested people of all ages, including people too young to undergo cognitive changes (hard to detect without a brain scan), on the theory that early damage can occur. accumulate.

She examined the brains of 20 people – half of them were diagnosed with clinical depression and the other was found to be healthy after pbading a complete psychiatric test.

She found that people who were severely depressed had a brain that had a lower synaptic density.

Having a lower synapse density has been badociated with neurological disorders and is said to be common in people aged 74 to 90 years.

Although her study was small, she brought scientists to look into the impact of depression on the brain.

His team, along with other researchers, also encouraged people to seek treatment for their depression rather than suffer in silence.

If you have mental health problems, talk to your GP or call the Samaritans at 116 123.

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