How Spirituality Protects the Brain Against Depression
Traci Pedersen ("Psych Central," January 19, 2014)
Engaging in regular meditation or another spiritual practice is linked to a
thickening of the brain cortex, according to new research published in
JAMA Psychiatry.
This discovery could lead to new insights as to why these activities help
guard against depression, particularly in those who are genetically
predisposed to the mental health disorder.
Major depression is characterized by a depressed mood for most of the day
and a loss of interest in normal activities and relationships. The disease
affects about 6.7% of the U.S. population over age 18, according to the
National Institute of Mental Health.
This is the first published study investigating whether there is any
physical evidence in the brain linked to the protective effects of
spirituality
and religion against depression.
The research involved 103 adults at either high or low risk of depression,
based on family history. Magnetic resonance imaging findings revealed
thicker cortices in those participants who placed a high importance on
religion
or spirituality than those who did not.
Furthermore, the relatively thicker cortex was found in exactly the same
regions of the brain that had otherwise shown thinning in people at high risk
for depression.
“The new study links this extremely large protective benefit of
spirituality or religion to previous studies which identified large expanses
of
cortical thinning in specific regions of the brain in adult offspring of
families
at high risk for major depression,” said Dr. Lisa Miller, professor and
director of Clinical Psychology and director of the Spirituality Mind Body
Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Prior research conducted by Miller and her team revealed a 90 percent
decrease in major depression in adults who placed spirituality or religiosity
at
high importance and whose parents suffered from depression.
The findings showed that although regular attendance at church was not
necessary, a strong personal importance placed on spirituality or religion was
most protective against major depression in people who were at high
familial risk.
Although more research is needed, the results suggest that spirituality or
religion may protect against major depression by thickening the brain
cortex and counteracting the cortical thinning that would typically occur with
major depression.
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