If You Are Depressed It Affects Your Child's Brain, Making Them Prone To Depression Says Study

In today¡¯s competitive and workaholic world, depression is a common word that you come across. Whether it¡¯s due to work pressure, some family stress or financial issues, depression can be really unhealthy for the body and mind.

And a recent report has revealed that it affects your kids too, in a rather drastic way.

Researchers conducted one of the largest brain-imaging study in the US that revealed considerable structural differences in the brain of kids whose parents are suffering from depression.

Studies in the past have consistently revealed that adolescent kids of parents suffering from depression have higher chances to develop depression than those whose parents aren¡¯t depressed. But the link that caused brains to do this was unclear.

However, this new study reveals this link in the form of structural differences in the brains of children at high risk of depression due to the parent¡¯s depressive history.

Published in Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the researchers analysed brain scans of over 7000 children -- one-third of them being in the high-risk group.

The brain scans of these kids revealed that their right putamen -- a brain structure that is known to be linked to reward, motivation, pleasure -- was considerably smaller than other kids with parents without depression.

Randy P. Auerbach, PhD, associate professor of medical psychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and senior author of the study states, "These findings highlight a potential risk factor that may lead to the development of depressive disorders during a peak period of onset.¡±

He further added, ¡°However, in our prior research, smaller putamen volumes also has been linked to anhedonia -- a reduced ability to experience pleasure -- which is implicated in depression, substance use, psychosis, and suicidal behaviors. Thus, it may be that smaller putamen volume is a transdiagnostic risk factor that may confer vulnerability to broad-based mental disorders."

David Pagliaccio, PhD, assistant professor of clinical neurobiology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons who led the study states, "Understanding differences in the brains of children with familial risk factors for depression may help to improve early identification of those at greatest risk for developing depression themselves, and lead to improved diagnosis and treatment.¡±

He further added, ¡°As children will be followed for a 10-year period during one of the greatest periods of risk, we have a unique opportunity to determine whether reduced putamen volumes are associated with depression specifically or mental disorders more generally."