Depression & Brain Cells

Depression can impair memory, but early treatment with antidepressants may stop the decline. New research at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada found that people with a history of depression didn't perform as well on word recall as those without psychiatric problems. Previous research has also shown that depressed people have smaller brain regions such as the hippocampus, possibly because chronic stress and depression destroy brain cells. The good news is: contrary to previous theories that we have a finite number of brain cells - is that antidepressants appear to stimulate the production of new cells.