In 2017, an estimated 11 million U.S. adults had at least one major depressive episode with severe impairment and nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (46.6 million in 2017). Mental illness and depression are on the rise especially in adolescents as they are one of the most vulnerable groups to be affected by severe depression and anxiety. During the adolescent years, Neuropsychiatric diseases peak in their prevalence. Dr. Shapiro discussed how her work and the work of other researchers are searching for ways to help individuals who are struggling and prevent mental illness from damaging more lives throughout the population.
Dr. Shapiro explained how during adolescence the brain prunes in the prefrontal cortex, her hypothesis and work was that if the structural remodeling and pruning of the brain that occurs during adolescence is sped up than we could mitigate depressive effects that this change in neurochemistry and anatomy often has on individuals. Dr. Shaprio’s work revolved around “Rho-kinase inhibition as antidepressant-like efficacy and expedites dendritic spine pruning in adolescent mice,” and utilized this ROCK pathway to lessen depressive behavior. ROCK phosphorylates and inhibits cofilin and thus halting the increase of dendritic spine growth. In the Seminar, Dr. Shaprio discussed how this works through Actin dynamics and by inhibiting RODCK with Fausudil there is an increase in the rate of the restructuring and Actin dynamics. Fasudil was given three times in 24 hours by a single injection to the adolescent female mice to compare to the effects of ketamine antidepressants. The mice were shown to spend more time swimming which is correlated with antidepressant effects. However, something interesting that was found was that unlike other drugs or antidepressants, Fausadil had no effect in adult mice and it uniquely affected the adolescent mouse brain which provides implications for its practical application in young adults. Because of the importance of the timing of adolescence to the development of cognition, Dr. Shaprio also tested the effects the drug had on learning in mice, however, she found that Fausadil did not have an effect on cognition compared to the effects of Saline as well. These results in the study with mice demonstrate possible alternatives for current avenues of treatment for depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
In the US News article “What's Driving the Rise in Teen Depression?” the alarmingly high rate of 3.2 million teenagers every year has at least one mental health episode is analyzed and discussed by Raychelle Cassada Lohman. Additionally, the article explains how around only 20% of teenagers with a mental health illness receive any sort of help and 80% suffer through it on their own. “The Journal of Abnormal Psychology finds that over the past decade the number of youth with mental health disorders has more than doubled” The author attempts to talk about potential causes to this rise in the incidence of mental health ailments and cites 5 potential causes though depression and psychiatric diseases can obviously differ greatly on an individual basis. She starts by talking about how depression itself is a modern-day diagnosis and professionals were often very unlikely to diagnose a patient until the 1980s with depression itself. They often found it inappropriate for professionals to diagnose someone so young when “teen moodiness” is often perceived as normal behavior. Additionally, teens today are “hyper-connected and stimulated”. With over 95 percent of teens having access to a smartphone and 45 percent online "almost constantly," according to a Pew Research Center study, more and more teens are turning to the internet for social support and social comparison. This comparison of likes and measure of self-worth and personal value through numbers seen on social media often has a very damaging effect on the development of teenagers today. Other factors discussed in the article include uncertain and turbulent times with acts of terrorism like school shootings or in public places or the global scene itself feeling more turbulent could cause an increase as well. Young adults and teenagers today also are not getting the recommended amount of sleep and consequently, this can affect their development as “studies have shown youth aren’t getting enough sleep, and that can lead to a depressed mood, moodiness, and irritability”. Today’s kids face a multitude of challenges both personally and through their community and it is no surprise that so many different things cause the highest incidence of depression that has ever been seen in the growing youth of our nation.
Both Dr. Shaprio’s work along with the article educated me on the prevalence of depression in today’s adolescent and how difficult it can be to find a solution to the issues that these growing teenagers are facing every day. Dr. Shaprio’s work mainly focused on the chemical basis of depression and how different neurological development factors such as pruning and the restructuring of the brain lead to this vulnerable time in which depression and anxiety become increasingly common. Though the article does not mention the chemical basis as much, it coincides with Dr. Sharpiro’s work as it explains some of the factors that adolescent youth face personally, in their community, and with the technology that they are so intertwined in. I believe it is a good idea to inform and educate individuals on the chemical basis of depression as well as the multitude of personal factors in the environment that can lead to such mental states. With greater research being done on multiple treatment options instead of the currently limited options I believe more individuals will be able to receive treatment in their personal struggles with depression. Dr. Shaprio’s work with Fausadil and inhibition of ROCK seems very promising and I hope that in the future there are more treatment options of depression, less of a social stigma against mental illness and a greater awareness of all of the potential factors that can cause depression and other severe mental health illnesses especially in adolescence.
Works Cited
Shapiro, Lauren P., et al. “Rho-Kinase Inhibition Has Antidepressant-like Efficacy and Expedites Dendritic Spine Pruning in Adolescent Mice.” Neurobiology of Disease, vol. 124, 2019, pp. 520–530., doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2018.12.015.
“What's Driving the Rise in Teen Depression?” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/2019-04-22/teen-depression-is-on-the-rise.
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