Most people think of depression as a problem of mood. In long-standing depression, parts of the brain involved in memory, resilience, and long-term cognitive health can actually begin to shrink. One of the most important of these structures is the hippocampus. This is not a new or controversial idea. For decades, brain imaging studies have…
Mood disorders and the problem of regulation When we talk about mood disorders, we typically describe them using emotional terms. Perhaps unsurprisingly, phrases such as anxiety, irritability, loss of interest, low mood, or emotional numbness tend to dominate conversation. For many people, however, these labels feel incomplete and only reflect part of the story. What…
A large meta-analysis involving more than 1.5 million participants has identified an association between energy drink consumption and suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Importantly, this does not imply that energy drinks cause suicide, but it does suggest that their use may be linked to underlying psychological or behavioural risk factors. Let’s unpack the connection between energy…
Bioelectric Neuromodulation: Vagus Nerve Stimulation Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a form of bioelectric neuromodulation, a way of stimulating the brain to regulate neurophysiology. We’re getting rewarding results using vagus nerve stimulation across a range of conditions, including major depressive disorder. The idea has been around for some decades. In 2005 the FDA approved the…
Telomere length predicts lifespan. Now, a new study has shown an association between childhood trauma, shortened telomere length and mental illness such as bipolar mood disorder and schizophrenia. Hmmm… What’s that telling us? DNA Transcription Cell division is essential to life and telomeres are part of that process. Telomeres form protective caps on the end…
A powerful piece of medical dogma is the notion that depression has genetic roots. This is the idea that if your mother suffered from depression, then the chances are that you will too. A closedly associated notion is the “chemical imbalance” in the brain idea. This is the claim that depressed patients do not have…
Does Herpes Virus Cause Mood Disorders? A fascinating link between herpes virus infection and mood disorders has been discovered. Remarkably, these findings have ramifications far beyond herpes virus infection and shed light on the incredible links between infection, inflammation, brain function and mood disorders. Published in Frontiers in Microbiology, Dr Bhupesh Prusty and his team…
Startling new evidence shows that Hans Asperger, after whom Asperger’s syndrome is named, was a Nazi sympathiser. He referred mentally handicapped children to a clinic where many were eventually killed as part of the Nazi’s programme of racial purity. The evidence is presented in a paper published in April 2018 in the journal Molecular Autism…
