52. Notes - think on and consider

10 February 2019

       Sunday evening. Yesterday's blog was to focus on what your soul is doing while the heart and mind are consciously desiring and or debating one thing or another, but a bit of arrogance forged its way into the fire so to speak. - Amorella

       1952 hours. Interesting word choice, Amorella. I'm much calmer tonight. I'm not really interested in debating metaphysics or desiring much of anything at the moment. I did read a science article about spiritual beliefs and depression in the brain though. Here it is.

       First, underline selections below and I will give my two-cents worth. - Amorella

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HEALTH                     

Spiritual Beliefs Are Linked to a 'Protective' Effect Against Depression in The Brain 

 

CARLY CASSELLA 

10 FEB 2019 

Religious beliefs, or a sense of spirituality, may cushion some people's brains against depression, according to new research.

A study has found a curious link between our personally held beliefs and the thickness of white matter in our noggins.

The idea is still very much in its infancy, but as findings like these begin to pile up, the link between depression and religion is becoming ever more intriguing.

Today, we know that depression is, at least to some extent, a consequence of our genes. There is quite a bit of research to suggest that if one or both parents are depressed, it can increase a child's risk of depression by double, maybe even quadruple the average amount.

But while these studies strongly suggest a genetic component, depression doesn't affect everyone with a depressed parent, and can also show up in people without any family history whatsoever.

This means there have to be some other factors at play, and a person's intrinsic worldview may be one of them.

Among adults with a high family risk for depression, a firm belief in religion or spirituality - never mind attendance at church or other pious acts - seemed to have a protective effect, shielding some patients from a recurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD).

The research is buttressed by a 2005 study, which found that religion served as a buffer against depression in those with poor health. Plus, a 2013 study found that those who are treated for mental health issues respond better to treatment if they believe in God.

Diving deeper, the new research used a type of MRI-based neuroimaging, called diffusion tensor imaging, to visualise the white matter in the brains of 99 participants, with varying levels of familial risk for depression.

White matter is the pale tissue that makes up the brain's cortex, and it contains the circuitry that brain cells need to communicate with each other.

Previous research has shown that thinning white matter is a biomarker for depression in the brain, and a 2014 study found that religion and spirituality is associated with thicker cortices in several brain regions linked to depression.

The findings of the new study simply feed these correlations. The researchers discovered that those with high familial risk of depression and with important religious or spiritual beliefs, had brains that more closely resembled participants with low familial risk of depression.

"We found that belief in the importance of [religion or spirituality] was associated with thicker cortices in bilateral parietal and occipital regions," the authors conclude.

"As we had previously reported cortical thinning in these regions as a stable biomarker for depression risk, we hypothesised that the thicker cortices in those reporting high importance of [religious or spiritual] beliefs may serve as a compensatory or protective mechanism."

As interesting as these connections are, for the time being, that's all they can be. Until we can say for sure the effect that religion has on white matter, let alone depression, this study and numerous others will need to be replicated, validated and stretched across greater time spans.

When it comes to the human brain, there's no simple answer.

This study has been published in Brain and Behaviour.

Selected and edited from - https://www.sciencealert.com/spiritual-or-religious-beliefs-may-act-like-a-buffer-against-depression-in-the-brain  [for common use if sourced]

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       2004 hours. Your underlining did the trick, Amorella. The last line says it all -- "When it comes to the human brain, there is no simple answer." I wish I had read it that way the first time, and the second. You cut through the chase. 

       Is there a simpler answer by also choosing to focus on the ramifications of the heartansoulanmind on basic human spiritual behavior? - Amorella

       2009 hours. I don't know. It could be a distraction from the scientific approach. Science debates what the meaning of 'mind' is, and the soul is unprovable so at most conjecture is about as far into logic as we can go. You can't debate or discuss two unlike concepts -- neuro-science, if you will, and conjecture on purely spiritual (metaphysical) thought processes within human behavior, at least I don't think you can. Sometimes my mind doesn't shuffle concepts well. 

       Think on and consider. Post. - Amorella