Stress breeds depression. Anecdotally, we all know that's the
case, but scientifically speaking it's been a hypothesis that
has until now remained unproven. A new study, however, reveals
that chronic stress affects us at the genetic level, in turn
creating very real brain changes associated with depression. A
team of researchers from Yale University has been studying how
rats react to chronic, unpredictable stress. To do that, they
subjected a group of rats to food and play deprivation, isolated
them from other rodents, and switched around their day-night
cyles for three weeks. Eventually, the rats were left with
little interest in food or enjoying a sweetened drink, and
didn't swim when placed in water—all signs of rodent
depressions. Then, the researchers focused on their gene
activity. In particular, the team found that the neuritin
gene—also present in humans—was much less active compared to the
control population. Part of the depressed group of rodents
responded well to anti-depressants, quickly recoveri