15 Apr 2010
April 15 NIMH Update
Attached is the April 15 update from the NIMH - included are links to articles on:
Novel Model of Depression from Social Defeat Shows Restorative Power of Exercise??New Neurons Pinpointed as Central to Exercise Benefit In a study in a mouse model that mimics the contribution of social stress to human depression, an environment that promotes exercise and exploration alleviated depressive behavior in the mice. The beneficial effect of activity depended on the growth of new neurons in the adult brain.
Family History of Depression Alters Brain’s Response to Reward and Risk
Girls at high risk for depression but without current or past clinically significant symptoms showed abnormal brain function related to anticipating and receiving either a reward or loss, according to a study funded by NIMH. According to the researchers, this abnormal brain function may be useful for predicting future illness in people with a family history of depression. The study was published in the April 2010 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.