Khaberni - In a new scientific discovery, a recent study uncovered that the relationship between chronic pain and depression is not limited to the psychological aspect only, but is connected with complex biological changes within the brain, which might explain why some patients suffer from depression and others do not.
According to the study published in the "Science" journal, about 40% of adults who suffer from chronic pain exhibit depressive symptoms, which has led researchers to look into the underlying neural mechanisms behind this phenomenon.
The results showed that the hippocampus, responsible for memory and learning, plays a central role in this relationship. Individuals with chronic pain without depression noticed a slight increase in the volume of the hippocampus and an improvement in memory, indicating an attempt by the brain to adapt to stress.
Conversely, patients with depression were observed to have a decline in the size of this area and a weakening in cognitive performance, with these changes gradually developing as the pain persisted, suggesting that the brain's ability to adapt may collapse over time.
Mechanism of the Transition from Pain to Depression
The study showed that the transition begins in a delicate part of the hippocampus known as the dentate gyrus, one of the few brain areas that continues to produce new neuronal cells in adulthood.
In the early stages, the brain shows a protective response by increasing the activity of neuronal cells, but as the pain continues, immune cells known as microglia activate abnormally, leading to disruption of neural signals and the onset of cognitive decline and depressive symptoms.
The results indicated that the drug minocycline could contribute to reducing these changes, as it demonstrated the ability to reduce the abnormal activity of the immune cells and preserve the brain's structure, especially when used in the early stages.
The study also noted that adopting a healthy lifestyle, which includes good sleep, physical activity, and balanced nutrition, may reduce the risk of depression by up to 57%, in addition to its role in enhancing brain health.
