is known from provided that patients suffering from cancer it is customary that they suffer from depression, nobody was surprised that, few things can be more depressing than a cancer. But a recent study with rats opens a new door, the cause of depression in patients could not be psychological, but organic and caused by the cancer itself.
I.e. the cause of depression in cancer patients could not due to the emotional stress due to the diagnosis or the side effects of chemotherapy, but to a biological cause. between 15-20% of diagnosed cancer patients have suffered from depression according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. In this study instead were tested 100 rats to regular exercises to measure depression in animals, and animals, some of them had cancerous cells.
The researchers were able to observe as these latest cancer rats were less motivated to escape in the swim test and in turn less eager to drink water with sugar, a drink that healthy rats is irresistible
examine behavior in animals nonhumans tumors in this case, is especially useful, because the rats are not aware of the disease and its changes of behaviour are fruit exclusively biological factors” Brian Prendergast, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago.
Apparently tumors could produce substances associated with depression in large quantities that would come to the brain and also due to the development of the tumor normal and mechanisms common to moderate the impact of the depression would be altered or annulled. Even tumors induce changes in the cells of our hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for regulating emotions.
Route: 18 may, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Tags: cancer, depression
