How sadness affects brain health

According to recent data from the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN)more than 10% of the adult population in Spain claims to feel sad or unhappy always or most of the time.

The women They declare sadness more frequently than men and the data is especially striking among women. young population. More than 17% of people between 18 and 34 years old admit to feeling sad constantly or almost constantly, compared to 6.5% of those over 60 years old.

“When we carried out the survey we included a section related to emotional state, since we know that Having a positive attitude, good humor and laughter strengthen our brain and that, on the contrary, a state of sadness sustained over time produces brain alterations that impact health,” comments Dr. Jesús Porta-Etessam, president of the SEN. “Not only do chemical changes occur in the brain, but the volume and connectivity of certain brain areas are also affected“.

Specifically, neurotransmitters essential for communication between neurons decrease, such as serotoninthe dopamine wave norepinephrineand the density of the gray matterkey to processing information. In the short term, this can translate into problems with concentration, memory or emotional management. In the long term, the impact is greater.

Depression and neurological risk

When sadness leads to depressionthe health risk increases significantly. According to report data Depression and Neurology of the SEN, having suffered depression increases by 66% the risk of strokedoubles that of epilepsy and Alzheimer’sand triples that of Parkinson’s. Furthermore, 60% of patients with depression will suffer from headaches and up to 10% of new cases of Alzheimer’s could be related to a history of depression.

The link is also bidirectional. “Depression is not only a risk factor for certain neurological disorders, but also aggravates existing ones,” notes Dr. Porta-Etessam. In patients with pathologies such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy or multiple sclerosis, Depression accelerates cognitive decline, increases disability, and worsens prognosis.

Neurological patients with depression have up to ten times the risk of die from strokedouble the risk of developing a epilepsy drug-resistant and have a higher level of cognitive impairment in diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis. Likewise, the presence of depression increases the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks, with a high probability of becoming chronic, as well as multiple sclerosis outbreaks.