Scientists from Australia have found that depressive and anxiety disorders can cause serious physiological changes in the human brain. Mental issues can shrink some areas of the brain while increasing others, Planet Today reported.
Specialists from the Australian National University studied the mental organs of over ten thousand people, paying attention to the volume of different areas of the brain. Comparing the results of the study with data on depressive and anxiety disorders in the participants, the scientists noticed that mental issues can affect the volume of different parts of the brain.
Chronic depression reduces the volume of the hippocampus. This area of the brain plays an essential role in memory and learning processes. If depression is accompanied by anxiety, then the amygdala, the area of the brain that is responsible for emotions, enlarges, says Dr. Daniela Espinoza Oyarce, lead author of the study.
Oyarce noted that a decrease in the volume of some areas of the brain and a simultaneous increase in the volume of others creates the illusion that the total volume of the brain does not change with depressive and anxiety disorders. However, new research has shown that psychological issues can more than noticeably affect the physical condition of the thinking organ.