The effect of consumption of selected nutrients on the occurrence and course of depression

Depression is a disease characterized by both mental and somatic disorders. The 21st century turned out to be the time when depression became a real health threat not only to individuals but also to entire societies. There are many theories pointing to the causes of depression, but these immediate causes are still not definitively clear. Equivalent importance of neuroanatomical and psycho-social factors is indicated. Among the theories considered so far, there are biological, hormonal, neurotransmitter-related, describing the malfunctions of the limbic system and hypothalamus, psychological theories. The studies conducted so far show that psychosocial factors play an extremely important role in the etiology of depression. Symptoms of depression are very complex and multifaceted, and may vary in severity. As a result of studies on the risk factors for depression, a relationship between the deficiency of individual nutrients and the manifestation of depressive disorders has been shown. The aim of the study is to present the influence of particular nutrients on the occurrence and course of depression. A properly balanced diet, both quantitatively and qualitatively, has a positive effect on reducing the risk of depression, as well as improving the condition of people who already suffer from it. Among the nutrients of particular importance are vitamin D, magnesium, folic acid, tryptophan, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, cobalamin, and some probiotic microorganisms.

The use of agomelatine in the reduction of anhedonia and sleep disorders in the course of depression

Agomelatine is an antidepressant with a unique pharmacological profile, it acting as an agonist of MT1 and MT2 melatoninergic receptors and as an antagonist of the 5-HT2C receptor. The drug has a quick onset of action and a long maintenance of the therapeutic effect, also it is well tolerated. In clinical studies in patients with depression agomelatine reduces anxiety symptoms and improves sleep quality, not causing sedation, weight gain, sexual dysfunction or suppression of emotional responses.

Prevalence and Course of Depression During the First Year After Mild to Moderate Stroke

Background This study examined the prevalence and longitudinal course of depression during the first year after mild to moderate stroke. Methods and Results We identified patients with mild to moderate ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score <16) and at least 1 depression assessment at 3, 6, or 12 months after stroke (n=648, 542, and 533, respectively) from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi project (2014–2016). Latent transition analysis was used to examine temporal profiles of depressive symptoms assessed by the 8‐item Patient Health Questionnaire between 3 and 12 months after stroke. Mean age was 65.6 years, 49.4% were women, and 56.7% were Mexican Americans. The prevalence of depression after stroke was 35.3% at 3 months, decreased to 24.9% at 6 months, and remained stable at 25.7% at 12 months. Approximately half of the participants classified as having depression at 3 or 6 months showed clinical improvement at the next assessment. Subgroups with distinct patterns of depressive symptoms were identified, including mild/no symptoms, predominant sleep disturbance and fatigue symptoms, affective symptoms, and severe/all symptoms. A majority of participants with mild/no symptoms retained this symptom pattern over time. The probability of transitioning to mild/no symptoms was higher before 6 months compared with the later period, and severe symptoms were more likely to persist after 6 months compared with the earlier period. Conclusions The observed dynamics of depressive symptoms suggest that depression after stroke tends to persist after 6 months among patients with mild to moderate stroke and should be continually monitored and appropriately managed.

Cognitive Control and Ruminative Responses to Stress: Understanding the Different Facets of Cognitive Control

Rumination has been linked to the onset and course of depression. Theoretical models and empirical evidence suggest that deficits controlling negative material in working memory underlie rumination. However, we do not know which component of cognitive control (inhibition, shifting, or updating) contributes most to rumination, and whether different components predict the more maladaptive (brooding) versus the more adaptive (reflection) forms of rumination. We aimed to advance theory and research by examining the contribution of different facets of cognitive control to the level and trajectory of brooding and reflection. At baseline, participants completed three cognitive tasks that assessed their inhibition, shifting, and updating biases, respectively. Next, using experience sampling methodology, participants rated their level of rumination and negative affect nine times during the 48 h after their most stressful exam. At each time point, higher levels of brooding, but not reflection, predicted higher levels of negative affect at the next time point. Furthermore, several facets of shifting and inhibition, but not updating, predicted brooding immediately after the exam and its trajectory of change over 48 h. Additionally, difficulty inhibiting neutral words predicted both brooding and reflection. These findings inform theoretical models describing the role of cognitive control in brooding and reflection.

Overgeneral and specific autobiographical memory predict the course of depression: an updated meta-analysis

Impairments in retrieving event-level, specific autobiographical memories, termed overgeneral memory (OGM), are recognised as a feature of clinical depression. A previous meta-analytic review assessing how OGM predicts the course of subsequent depressive symptoms showed small effects for correlations and regression analyses when baseline depressive symptoms were controlled for. We aimed to update this study and examine whether their findings replicate given the decade of research that has been published since. A systematic literature review using the same eligibility criteria as the previous meta-analysis led to a doubling of eligible studies (32 v. 15). The results provided more precise estimates of effect sizes, and largely support the finding that OGM predicts the course of depressive symptoms. The effects were generally small, but significantly larger among clinical samples, compared to studies with non-clinical samples. There was some evidence that higher age was associated with stronger effects, and longer follow-up was associated with weaker effects. The findings on other moderating variables that were analysed were mixed. Continued research into this modifiable cognitive process may help to provide an avenue to better understand and treat highly prevalent and impactful depressive disorders.

The longitudinal association between loneliness and depressive symptoms in the elderly: a systematic review

ABSTRACT Objective: Loneliness and the onset of depression in old age are growing problems related to the greater life expectancy nowadays. This review investigated the longitudinal association between loneliness and depressive symptoms in the elderly. Design: A comprehensive search was conducted using three databases (Scopus, PsycInfo, and PubMed) combing for empirical studies published up until July 2020. A total of 4.549 abstracts and 221 full-text articles were assessed. Three authors independently reviewed titles and abstracts; disagreements were resolved by consensus. Results: Ten studies were included in the final review. We identified two categories of studies based on the outcome considered in each article: 1) the longitudinal effect of loneliness on depressive symptoms and 2) the clinical course of depression and its association with loneliness. All the articles reported a significant and positive association between loneliness and depressive symptoms in their longitudinal design research, ranging from an odds ratio of 0.41 to 17.76. The heterogeneity regarding the effect size in the analyses can be explained by the multifactorial design implemented by most of the studies included. Conclusions: Future research should investigate the moderators' role and how it may influence the longitudinal association between loneliness and depression over the years.