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Mental illnesses damage brains differently: A new study on mental health effects
16.09.2023 22:10
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:23
Mental illnesses can change our personalities a lot, but we also change physically - our brains definitely do.
A study involving 1,300 people with different mental illnesses has revealed significant diversity in brain changes.
Let's find out more about how mental health problems affect our brains.
A new study on how brain of mentally ill people changes
Led by researchers at Monash University, the study used brain imaging to measure brain region sizes.
Unlike past research focusing on group averages, this study examined individual variations.
The results showed that brain regions with size deviations differed among individuals, with only around 7% of people sharing similar deviations in the same brain area.
This complexity makes it challenging to pinpoint treatment targets or causal factors based on group averages.
The study also explored connectivity between areas with size deviations, revealing common links in brain circuits, potentially explaining shared symptoms among those with the same diagnosis.
Additionally, the research identified potential treatment targets for various disorders, though these may only be effective for specific subsets of individuals.
Why it's important
This study highlights the need for personalized treatments.
It also enhances our understanding of the unique brain changes associated with mental illness, from individual regions to broader brain circuits and networks.
