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A new study identifies a novel biomarker indicating resilience to chronic stress. This biomarker is largely absent in people suffering from major depressive disorder, and this absence is further associated with pessimism in daily life, the study finds.
Nature Communications published the research by scientists at Emory University.
The researchers used brain imaging to identify differences in the neurotransmitter glutamate within the medial prefrontal cortex before and after study participants underwent stressful tasks. They then followed the participants for four weeks, using a survey protocol to regularly assess how participants rated their expected and experienced outcomes for daily activities.
A new study identifies a novel biomarker indicating resilience to chronic stress.
This biomarker is largely absent in people suffering from major depressive disorder, and this absence is further associated with pessimism in daily life, the study finds.
Researchers used brain imaging to identify differences in the neurotransmitter glutamate within the medial prefrontal cortex before and after study participants underwent stressful tasks. They then followed the participants for four weeks, using a survey protocol to regularly assess how participants rated their expected and experienced outcomes for daily activities.
“In many ways, depression is a stress-linked disorder.”
“To our knowledge, this is the first work to show that glutamate in the human medial prefrontal cortex shows an adaptive habituation to a new stressful experience if someone has recently experienced a lot of stress,” says senior author Michael Treadway, professor in Emory University’s department of psycho
https://nyti.ms/3eS8Igi
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Are You Flourishing? Take the Quiz.
May 4, 2021
173
The first step toward better overall well-being is to think about how you’re doing in different parts of your life. Our quiz can help. Cristina Spanò
At Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program, Tyler J. VanderWeele uses this quiz to gauge a person’s overall physical, mental and emotional well-being. While he says there’s no specific score to determine if someone is definitely flourishing, the higher the score, the better. Just taking the quiz, and reflecting on the questions, can put you on a path to making positive changes. And comparing yourself to the national average it was about 70 before the pandemic and 65 in June 2020 can give you a sense of where you stand.