30/11/2025
🧠 New Research Is Rewriting What We Know About Depression
For decades, we’ve heard that depression stems from a “chemical imbalance” — low serotonin or other neurotransmitter issues. But emerging brain-imaging research is challenging that view.
A study from Weill Cornell Medicine shows that in many people with depression, it’s not just about “chemicals,” but rather how parts of the brain are wired. Researchers found that a brain network — the salience network — tends to be significantly larger in depressed individuals compared to those without depression. This suggests that altered brain circuitry and connectivity may underlie depression more than chemical levels do. 
Moreover, a 2025 study from McGill University identified specific brain-cell types (neurons and microglia) that behave differently in people with depression — showing altered gene activity and inflammation pathways. This lends weight to the idea that depression involves real, structural and cellular changes in the brain. 
What this means: Depression may be far more complex than a simple “chemical imbalance.” Understanding it as a condition rooted in brain wiring and structure opens the door to new, more targeted treatments — beyond only medication, perhaps involving therapies that reshape brain networks or target cellular pathways.
💡 Hope for the future: With better science, we may see new treatments — tailored to individual brain patterns — that treat depression more effectively and holistically.
📚 Source: Weill Cornell Medicine (2024) & McGill University (2025)
