Depression, Overwhelming Guilt in Preschool Years Linked to Brain Changes

A research team from the Washington University School of Medicine published a study in the online journal JAMA Psychiatry which identified a physical similarity between the brains of children diagnosed with pathological guilt and those who were at high risk for depression. Building on research conducted in the Preschool Depression Study program, participants from ages three to six were assessed for various conditions and were later given regular MRI scans to analyze how depression affected their development. Participants afflicted with pathological guilt were unanimously reported as being diagnosed with depression later in life, which confirmed previous research. However, brain scans revealed that those children had underdeveloped insula in the right half of their brains. This same abnormality is common in adults with depression, leading to the current belief that this section of the brain is involved in emotion and self-perception. While this correlation draws into question whether pathological guilt is a symptom of early depression, or if guilt increases the likelihood of depression, researchers are optimistic about the study’s contributions. “Either way, the discovery that pathological guilt is related to changes in the brain that increase the risk for recurrent depression could be a major step in better understanding the trajectory of depression,” explained the author. To read more about this study, click here.