Problem
Several brain regions have been implicated in major depression, in that they tend to be more or less active (on average) in people with major depression versus people without major depression.
A. Subgenual Cingulate Gyrus (Area 25)
a. In normal functioning, turns on during sleep and off when awake.
b. Tends to be active when people are disengaged from the outside environment.
c. In major depression, area 25 tends to stay on even when people are awake.
B. Prefrontal cortex
a. Involved in complex behavior, personality, abstract reasoning, actively processing information
b. Tends to be less active during periods of depression
C. Hippocampus
a. Involved in the formation and storage of long-term memories. Damage to this area can lead to the inability to form new memories (amnesia)
b. Tends to be less active during periods of depression, whereas areas involved in the formation of negative emotional memories (e.g., the Amygdala) tend to be overactive.
Examine the list of brain areas related to major depression, along with the brief description of their typical function. Discuss how this may translate into characteristic symptoms of this disorder, and if this information can tell us anything about how to approach the condition.