Wellness-uptodate

  CMS in Medium 07-18-2023 A new trial shows how Augmented Depression Therapy benefits depressed patients Depression and Anhedonia Anhedonia, the diminished capacity to experience pleasure, is a symptom associated with a myriad of disease processes. It is a prevalent feature of depression. Approximately 95% of depressed individuals report some loss of interest or pleasure and more than one third show severe anhedonic symptoms. Functional neuroimaging studies have revealed that anhedonia is characterized by decreased responsiveness of mesocorticolimbic reward processing brain circuitry Imbalances in neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers secreted by nerves, have also been investigated in relation to anhedonia. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in reward pathways. Reduced dopamine expression in the ventral striatum has been found to correlate with increased severity of anhedonia. Even people with anhedonia may have a reduced capacity to experience pleasure, they can keep th...