A hyperactive brain may be partly to blame for depression, according to a new study linking the two conditions.
Researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles who studied the brains of more than 120 people with depression found they tended to be in a constant state of “connectivity” – meaning they are relentlessly active -- than those who don’t suffer from the mental disorder.
In healthy brains, researchers explained, connections in the brain are turning on and off, depending on what they are doing.
The differences in the brains of depressed people may make it harder for them to process different types of information and not feel overwhelmed. Depressed people often have problems with attention, memory and anxiety.
Lead researcher Andrew Leuchter of UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, told USA Today the study could provide a key understanding of the mechanisms of depression.
The findings were published in online journal Public Library of Science ONE.