News Psychology

A brain network linked to attention is larger in people with depression

The difference is visible even in those who haven’t yet developed depression symptoms

A GIF of a head outlined with simple eyes and a nose, shown from the side as black squiggly lines writhe around it

The network in the brain responsible for attention remains larger in people with depression even after symptoms abate.

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By Nora Bradford

Symptoms of depression fluctuate over time, but many brain imaging studies of the condition only study one point in time. That’s made it hard to connect networks of brain activity to various symptoms and mood changes. Now, a new study using long-term brain imaging data shows one brain network involved in guiding attention is nearly two times larger in patients with depression than in people not experiencing depression symptoms, and stays larger even as depressive symptoms ebb and flow.