A report on Major depressive disorder and Locus coeruleus

Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate)
by Vincent van Gogh (1890)

Rhomboid fossa. (Locus coeruleus not labeled, but is very near [just lateral to] the colliculus facialis, which is labeled at center left.)

An 1892 lithograph of a woman diagnosed with melancholia

Locus coeruleus and its influence pathways

A cup analogy demonstrating the diathesis–stress model that under the same amount of stressors, person 2 is more vulnerable than person 1, because of their predisposition.

Physical exercise is one recommended way to manage mild depression.

Sertraline (Zoloft) is used primarily to treat major depression in adults.

Diagnoses of depression go back at least as far as Hippocrates.

The 16th American president, Abraham Lincoln, had "melancholy", a condition that now may be referred to as clinical depression.

The locus coeruleus may figure in clinical depression, panic disorder, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and anxiety.

- Locus coeruleus

Third, decreased size of the locus coeruleus, decreased activity of tyrosine hydroxylase, increased density of alpha-2 adrenergic receptor, and evidence from rat models suggest decreased adrenergic neurotransmission in depression.

- Major depressive disorder

4 related topics with Alpha

Drawing comparing a normal aged brain (left) and the brain of a person with Alzheimer's. Characteristics that separate the two are pointed out.

Alzheimer's disease

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Neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens.

A normal brain on the left and a late-stage Alzheimer's brain on the right

In Alzheimer's disease, changes in tau protein lead to the disintegration of microtubules in brain cells.

Histopathologic images of Alzheimer's disease, in the CA3 area of the hippocampus, showing an amyloid plaque (top right), neurofibrillary tangles (bottom left), and granulovacuolar degeneration bodies (bottom center)

PET scan of the brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease showing a loss of function in the temporal lobe

Cognitive tests such as the Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) can help in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. In this test instructions are given to copy drawings like the one shown, remember some words, read, and subtract numbers serially.

Intellectual activities such as playing chess or regular social interaction have been linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in epidemiological studies, although no causal relationship has been found.

Three-dimensional molecular model of donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease symptoms

Molecular structure of memantine, a medication approved for advanced Alzheimer's disease symptoms

Alois Alzheimer's patient Auguste Deter in 1902. Hers was the first described case of what became known as Alzheimer's disease.

Self-portrait of artist William Utermohlen, created after Alzheimer's disease diagnosis

Other risk factors include a history of head injury, clinical depression, and high blood pressure.

Degeneration is also present in brainstem nuclei particularly the locus coeruleus in the pons.

Schematic overview of the classes of stresses that plants are exposed to

Stress (biology)

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Organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition.

A diagram of the General Adaptation Syndrome model.

Chronic stress, and a lack of coping resources available, or used by an individual, can often lead to the development of psychological issues such as delusions, depression and anxiety (see below for further information).

Antishock phase: When the threat or stressor is identified or realized, the body starts to respond and is in a state of alarm. During this stage, the locus coeruleus and sympathetic nervous system activate the production of catecholamines including adrenaline, engaging the popularly-known fight-or-flight response. Adrenaline temporarily provides increased muscular tonus, increased blood pressure due to peripheral vasoconstriction and tachycardia, and increased glucose in blood. There is also some activation of the HPA axis, producing glucocorticoids (cortisol, aka the S-hormone or stress-hormone).

Service members use art to relieve PTSD symptoms.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

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Mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a person's life.

No quieren (They do not want to) by Francisco Goya (1746–1828) depicts an elderly woman wielding a knife in defense of a girl being assaulted by a soldier.

Regions of the brain associated with stress and post-traumatic stress disorder

The diagram depicts how emotions, thoughts, and behaviors all influence each other. The triangle in the middle represents CBT's tenet that all humans' core beliefs can be summed up in three categories: self, others, future.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Statue, Three Servicemen, Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Disability-adjusted life year rates for post-traumatic stress disorder per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004
no data
< 43.5
43.5–45
45–46.5
46.5–48
48–49.5
49.5–51
51–52.5
52.5–54
54–55.5
55.5–57
57–58.5
> 58.5

PTSD causes biochemical changes in the brain and body, that differ from other psychiatric disorders such as major depression.

The maintenance of fear has been shown to include the HPA axis, the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic systems, and the connections between the limbic system and frontal cortex.

Creativity

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Phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed.

Greek philosophers like Plato rejected the concept of creativity, preferring to see art as a form of discovery. Asked in The Republic, "Will we say, of a painter, that he makes something?", Plato answers, "Certainly not, he merely imitates."

Distributed functional brain network associated with divergent thinking

Training meeting in an eco-design stainless steel company in Brazil. The leaders among other things wish to cheer and encourage the workers in order to achieve a higher level of creativity.

This interdisciplinary framework integrates theoretical principles and empirical results from neuroeconomics, reinforcement learning, cognitive neuroscience, and neurotransmission research on the locus coeruleus system.

Particularly strong links have been identified between creativity and mood disorders, particularly manic-depressive disorder (a.k.a. bipolar disorder) and depressive disorder (a.k.a. unipolar disorder).