The Depressed Brain: Here Lies the Winter of our Discontent
Huda Akil, Ph.D.
Co-Director and Research Professor, MBNI Distinguished University Professor and Quarton Professor of Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry
What is the connection between Mood Disorders and brain functioning? Dr. Huda Akil explains the brain functioning of patientís with mood disorders. Depression is not solely caused by one source, but developed by the interactions of life stressors, heredity and genes, and the brain. Mood disorders are more than an imbalance of the hormone serotonin. Dr. Akil discusses the mediating role of Glucocorticoid Receptors (GR) in responsiveness to addictive substances and hormone control. Mood disorders cause brain dysregulation and change the relationship between structures throughout the brain.