Genetic Gems
This specific gene, involved in serotonin transport, is the primary focus of genetic research into depression.
What is the 5-HTT gene?
Low levels of this neurotransmitter are often associated with MDD, leading to the development of SSRIs.
What is Serotonin?
Aaron Beck argued depression is rooted in "Automatic Negative Thoughts" about the Self, the World, and the Future—a concept known as this.
What is the Cognitive Triad?
Brown & Harris (1978) conducted their classic study on women living in this city.
What is London (South London)?
Metalsky et al. (1993) used this common student stressor to investigate the effect of negative thinking styles on mood.
What is a bad grade (or exam result)?
According to Caspi et al. (2003), individuals with this variation of the 5-HTT gene are more vulnerable to depression after stressful life events.
What is the Short allele (or "short/short" genotype)
This "pleasure" neurotransmitter is linked to anhedonia when levels are low.
What is Dopamine?
This cognitive bias involves drawing a conclusion based on a single negative detail while ignoring other positive evidence.
What is Selective Abstraction?
According to Brown & Harris, working-class women with children were this many times more likely to develop depression than middle-class women.
What is four times?
In Alloy's study, 83% of "Negative Thinkers" stayed healthy because they may not have experienced this necessary component of the diathesis-stress model.
What is a major negative life event (or stressor)?
This model proposes that depression is the result of a genetic predisposition combined with an environmental trigger.
What is the Diathesis-Stress Model?
Depressed patients often show reduced volume and impaired neurogenesis in this brain structure responsible for memory.
What is the Hippocampus?
"It started raining right when I walked outside; the universe is trying to punish me." This is an example of which bias?
What is Personalization?
Loss of one's mother before this age was identified as a significant vulnerability factor.
What is age 11?
Critics of the serotonin hypothesis point out that while drugs change brain chemistry in hours, therapeutic benefits often take this long.
What is several weeks?
Researchers found a "paradox" in this population, who have a high frequency of the "risky" short allele but lower rates of depression.
Who are East Asians?
Ketamine has been shown to rapidly treat depression by acting as an antagonist for this neurotransmitter.
What is Glutamate?
This bias is characterized by an "all-or-nothing" approach to viewing the world (e.g., "I must be the best or I am a failure").
What is Dichotomous Thinking?
Factors such as having a confiding relationship with a husband were labeled as this type of factor, which buffers against depression.
What are Protective Factors?
Alloy et al. (1999) used this research design, following Americans for 6 years to see who developed depression.
What is a Longitudinal (or prospective) study?
Neumeister et al. (2002) found that depleting Tryptophan only caused depressive symptoms in participants who had this specific background factor.
What is a family history of depression?
This brain network is typically hyperactive in depressed patients, leading to negative rumination.
What is the Default Mode Network (DMN)?
Thinking "My boss didn't say good morning, he must be planning to fire me" is an example of this bias, where you draw conclusions with little evidence.
What is Arbitrary Inference?
One specific vulnerability factor was having more than three children under this age living at home.
What is age 14?
Researchers suggest that this cultural value in East Asian societies might protect against depression despite genetic risks.
What is Collectivism?