{"id":21038,"date":"2026-08-30T20:51:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T20:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=21038"},"modified":"2026-08-30T20:51:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T20:51:03","slug":"depression-and-the-brains-ability-to-renew-itself-a-different-way-of-understanding-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=21038","title":{"rendered":"Depression and the brain\u2019s ability to renew itself: A different way of understanding mental illness?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For decades, depression has often been explained through the lens of neurotransmitters. Popular discussion has focused heavily on serotonin, dopamine and other signalling chemicals that help brain cells communicate. While these molecules remain important, scientists increasingly recognise that depression is far more complex than a simple chemical imbalance. New research from Columbia University now adds another intriguing piece to the puzzle: people with major depressive disorder may lose part of their brain\u2019s ability to generate new neurons. The study, published in <em>Nature Medicine<\/em>, provides what researchers describe as the first evidence that adult hippocampal neurogenesis, the production of new neurons in a specific region of the adult brain, becomes disrupted or stalled in people living with major depressive disorder. The findings may eventually lead to a new generation of treatments aimed not simply at altering neurotransmitter levels but at restoring the brain\u2019s capacity to adapt, learn and recover from stress.  The implications extend beyond psychiatry. A better understanding of how the brain forms memories, responds to adversity and rewires itself could influence approaches to healthy ageing, neurodegenerative disease and personalised medicine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The adult human brain contains roughly 100 billion neurons, and most are produced before birth. For many years neuroscientists believed that neuron production effectively ceased once development was complete. However, research over the last few decades has overturned that view. Scientists now know that certain regions of the adult brain retain a limited capacity to generate new neurons throughout life. One of the most important of these regions is the hippocampus, a structure deeply involved in learning, episodic memory and emotional processing. The hippocampus helps people organise experiences, distinguish among similar events and assign emotional meaning to memories. It is also one of the few places where adult neurogenesis continues to occur.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Columbia team focused their attention on this brain region because previous studies have associated depression with reduced hippocampal volume, impaired memory processing and a tendency toward negative interpretations of everyday experiences. Their results suggest that disruption of neurogenesis may contribute directly to these effects. The researchers propose that newly formed neurons may help the brain perform a process known as \u201cpattern separation.\u201d Pattern separation allows people to distinguish between similar experiences and avoid blending them together into one emotional memory. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To illustrate, this consider a straightforward social interaction: A friend seems distracted during lunch because they are tired after a difficult week. A person with effective pattern separation records this as a unique event. Someone with impaired pattern separation may connect the experience with older memories of criticism, rejection or social discomfort and conclude that the friend is upset with them.  This subtle difference in information processing may sound small, but over time it could influence how individuals interpret the world around them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the researchers, new neurons appear especially responsive to novel experiences and are readily incorporated into memory circuits. This makes them potentially important for keeping new experiences separate from older ones. Animal studies have already shown that neurogenesis plays a key role in pattern separation. Emerging evidence from human studies suggests a similar relationship may exist in people. If depression interferes with the production of these neurons, the consequence may be a reduced capacity to adapt to new experiences and move beyond negative emotional memories.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-looking-at-depression-cell-by-cell\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking at depression cell by cell<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most impressive aspects of the study lies in its scale and technological sophistication. The researchers analysed nearly half a million individual brain cells collected from the hippocampi of people with major depressive disorder and control subjects. Rather than examining bulk tissue samples, the team used advanced molecular techniques capable of revealing activity patterns within single cells.  The scientists measured gene activity, examined chromatin accessibility, assessed protein expression and mapped where different cells were located within the hippocampus. This produced one of the most detailed molecular portraits of depression currently available.  The results revealed evidence for a disrupted neurogenic process in people with depression. Instead of progressing normally through developmental stages, the generation of new neurons appeared to stall. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters-1200x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3688773\" style=\"width:587px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Neurotransmitters.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The nervous system. By Scientificanimations.com. CC BY-SA 4.0, <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, researchers identified widespread abnormalities affecting neuronal communication, energy metabolism, stress responses, synaptic plasticity and inflammatory pathways.  These findings support a growing view that depression represents a disorder of brain adaptability rather than solely a problem of neurotransmitter concentrations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A particularly important aspect of the study concerns the remarkable diversity of molecular alterations observed. Researchers found changes in several genes already linked to depression through genetic studies. They also identified alterations consistent with epigenetic mechanisms. Unlike changes in DNA sequence, epigenetic modifications influence how strongly genes are switched on or off. These mechanisms can be affected by environmental factors, including stress, ageing and life experiences. This observation may help explain one of the enduring mysteries of psychiatric medicine: why depression looks so different from one patient to another.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-new-chapter-in-understanding-depression\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A new chapter in understanding depression<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some individuals experience profound sadness, while others feel emotionally numb. Some struggle primarily with anxiety, others with concentration, sleep or motivation. Not every patient responds to the same medication, psychotherapy or lifestyle intervention.  The current findings suggest that major depressive disorder may encompass several distinct biological subtypes rather than a single unified condition. Such a perspective mirrors developments in cancer research. Traditionally, cancers were classified according to where they arose in the body. Increasingly, they are categorised according to molecular characteristics, allowing treatments to be tailored to individual patients. Researchers hope a similar transformation might eventually occur in psychiatry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If confirmed by future studies, the new findings could influence mental-health treatment in several important ways. First, they may help identify entirely new drug targets. Current antidepressants primarily influence neurotransmitter systems. Therapies aimed at restoring neurogenesis, improving hippocampal plasticity or modifying inflammatory pathways could provide alternatives for patients who do not respond adequately to existing medications.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second, molecular classification of depression could improve precision medicine. Instead of prescribing treatments through trial and error, clinicians might one day select interventions based on an individual\u2019s specific biological profile.  Third, understanding how stress and environmental experiences influence gene regulation could strengthen preventive medicine strategies. Public-health initiatives that support resilience, stress reduction and early intervention might prove even more valuable if specific molecular pathways linking life experiences to mental illness can be identified, The economic implications are equally significant. Depression already represents one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, contributing substantially to healthcare expenditure, workplace absenteeism and reduced productivity. More effective treatments could deliver major benefits not only to patients but also to healthcare systems and national economies. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study does not claim that stalled neurogenesis is the sole cause of depression. The disorder remains extraordinarily complex and involves interactions among genetics, environment, life experiences, neural circuitry and physiology.  Nevertheless, the findings represent an important advance. By uncovering evidence that the adult brain\u2019s capacity to generate new neurons is disrupted in major depressive disorder, researchers have opened an entirely new avenue for investigation. More importantly, they have shifted attention toward understanding depression as a disease affecting the brain\u2019s ability to adapt, learn and reorganise itself. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> Depression and the brain\u2019s ability to renew itself: A different way of understanding mental illness?<br \/>\n<br \/>#Depression #brains #ability #renew #understanding #mental #illness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For decades, depression has often been explained through the lens of neurotransmitters. Popular discussion has&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[8938,13086,15627,15628,4829,8259,12492],"class_list":["post-21038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-ability","tag-brains","tag-depression","tag-illness","tag-mental","tag-renew","tag-understanding"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression.png",1080,770,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-300x214.png",300,214,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-768x548.png",640,457,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-1024x730.png",640,456,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression.png",1080,770,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression.png",1080,770,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-1080x715.png",1080,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-800x500.png",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-1024x730.png",1024,730,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-540x340.png",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/depression-400x250.png",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}