Mysterious brain network linked to six mental disorders discovered

Scientists have discovered a mysterious network of brain connections that is linked to several mental

disorders, including schizophrenia, depressionand obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). How it works is still unknown. However, one discovery of the network will lead to further exploration. This will help clarify why many patients diagnosed with one mental illness also exhibited symptoms of other pathologies.

“Half of the patients we treat have symptomsmeet criteria for more than one disorder,” explains Dr. Joseph Taylor, director of transcranial magnetic stimulation at the Brain Circuit Therapy Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and first author of the study. The results support the idea that disorders that often occur together originate from the same “neurobiological sources.”

In total, scientists have identified sixdisorders—schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, addiction, OCD, and anxiety—that “share” this basic circuitry. “We suspect that other mental disorders are also associated with the same network,” explains the study’s first author

The newly discovered scheme is different from others, alreadywell-known ones, such as the passive mode network of the brain and the saliency determination network. According to scientists, some nodes in these circuits are associated with mental disorders, while others are not, but are responsible for key aspects of cognitive function (selective attention and sensory processing). If scientists understand how the new circuit works, it will become clear how deficits in these functions affect various mental illnesses.

Read more:

Scientists have come up with a new treatment for hypertension. It has proven to be effective

Humans still have fur genes, but they are temporarily turned off

Look at the unusual "family portrait" of the Moon and the ISS. This photo was taken by an amateur

On the cover: Magnetic resonance imaging of brain areas in default network mode

Photo: John Graner, Neuroimaging Department, National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Public Domain, Link