Video 1 min read

Depression: when the brain sees only the negative

Published the Updated By Sacha Tembe and Jeanne Fenouil; Translation: AI-assisted

30% of people with depression do not respond to antidepressants. Mariana Alonso and her team at the Institut Pasteur have identified a key mechanism: the amygdala, which processes emotions, reacts less to positive stimuli and overreacts to negative ones, trapping the person in a darker view of the world.
  • #Depression
comprendre la dépression

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© Script: Jeanne Fenouil and Sacha Tembe - Filmmaking: Jeanne Fenouil (video in french, english subtitles available translated by AI)

 

30% of people suffering from depression are resistant to antidepressants. Why?

With her team, Mariana Alonso, a researcher in the Perception and Action Unit and head of the Emotional Circuits team at the Institut Pasteur, has identified a key mechanism involved in this disorder. During a depressive episode, the amygdala, a region of the brain that processes emotions, functions differently:

  • Less activity in the face of positive stimuli
  • Over-activation in the face of negative stimuli

The result: a skewed perception of reality, a “negativity bias” that locks the person into a darker view of the world.

These discoveries open the way to new, targeted treatments capable of repairing these neural circuits and helping the millions of people affected.