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Major depression is a mood disorder that affects nearly 7% of the American population and is the most common cause of disability worldwide. Standard treatment typically involves antidepressant medication alone, although a combination of antidepressant medication and psychological treatment, such as psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy, is often more effective. However, because depression has genetic, environmental, and psychological contributing factors, treatment can be challenging. Approximately 10% of those suffering from depression have treatment-resistant depression (TRD) that does not respond to standard treatment.A number of treatment options for those with TRD target the functioning of the nervous system. Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) , which is used to treat Parkinson disease, has also been investigated as a treatment for TRD. DBS involves implanting a device in the brain that sends electrical impulses to a specific area. Although the mechanism by which DBS alleviates depressive symptoms is unclear, neurostimulation provided by DBS is thought to disrupt dysfunctional patterns of electrical activity in local areas and connected brain regions.A meta-analysis reviewed the data from several studies that used different brain regions as DBS targets in the treatment of TRD. Table 1 shows the percentage of TRD patients who underwent DBS and showed clinical responsiveness and remission of depression. Clinical response was defined as a 50% reduction in scores on a measure of depression. Various scales were used in the studies, including different versions of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) . Remission of depression was defined as a score that fell below a predetermined threshold.Table 1 Percentage of TRD Patients Who Showed Clinical Response and Remission With DBS Treatment

-According to the monoamine hypothesis:

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Major depression is a mood disorder that affects nearly 7% of the American population and is the most common cause of disability worldwide. Standard treatment typically involves antidepressant medication alone, although a combination of antidepressant medication and psychological treatment, such as psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy, is often more effective. However, because depression has genetic, environmental, and psychological contributing factors, treatment can be challenging. Approximately 10% of those suffering from depression have treatment-resistant depression (TRD) that does not respond to standard treatment.A number of treatment options for those with TRD target the functioning of the nervous system. Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) , which is used to treat Parkinson disease, has also been investigated as a treatment for TRD. DBS involves implanting a device in the brain that sends electrical impulses to a specific area. Although the mechanism by which DBS alleviates depressive symptoms is unclear, neurostimulation provided by DBS is thought to disrupt dysfunctional patterns of electrical activity in local areas and connected brain regions.A meta-analysis reviewed the data from several studies that used different brain regions as DBS targets in the treatment of TRD. Table 1 shows the percentage of TRD patients who underwent DBS and showed clinical responsiveness and remission of depression. Clinical response was defined as a 50% reduction in scores on a measure of depression. Various scales were used in the studies, including different versions of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) . Remission of depression was defined as a score that fell below a predetermined threshold.Table 1 Percentage of TRD Patients Who Showed Clinical Response and Remission With DBS Treatment

-According to the monoamine hypothesis:

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0c70_3e99_a3bf_d9beff7013f5_MD0008_00 The monoamine hypothesis is a biomedical model of depression. Central to this hypothesis is the idea that depletion of monoamine neurotransmitters in the central nervous system directly causes depression symptoms. The monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) are neurotransmitters that have a single amine group in their molecular structure and are associated with emotion regulation. Serotonin is associated with a positive mood, feelings of satisfaction, and social dominance. In the central nervous system, norepinephrine enhances alertness, attention, and memory formation. Dopamine is associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. Support for the monoamine hypothesis comes from evidence that taking antidepressant medications that increase the levels of some or all of these neurotransmitters alleviates depression symptoms for many individuals. (Choice A) Although a chronically high level of the stress hormone cortisol is associated with depression symptoms, cortisol, a glucocorticoid, is not a part of the monoamine hypothesis. (Choice B) The monoamine hypothesis attributes depression symptoms to several monoamine neurotransmitters. It does not suggest that depression is caused by a single monoamine. (Choice D) The monoamine hypothesis is supported by evidence that increasing monoamine levels in the brain alleviates depression symptoms. DBS is thought to disrupt dysfunctional patterns of electrical activity in the brain, so it is unclear how this alters monoamine levels. Educational objective: The monoamine hypothesis states that a depletion of monoamine neurotransmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) in the central nervous system causes depression symptoms.

Passage Major Depression Is a Mood Disorder That Affects Nearly 7