The Article ‘Depression could be evolutionary
byproduct of immune system,’ proposes that genetic variation that promote
depression arose during evolution because they helped our ancestors fight
infections.
Depression is so common in adults
in the United States that it seems the possibility of depression being ‘hard
wired’ into our brains. This has led to biologists proposing several theories
and evolutionary advantage.
For years there has always been
several links with depression and inflammation, people with depression have a
higher levels of inflammation. But people with high levels of inflammation
don’t always have depression.
Charles Rasion, co-author, quotes
“The basic is that depression and the genes that promote it were very adaptive
for helping people – especially young children – not die of infection in the
ancestral environment’ If depression can be passed down in genes that it could
be the start of a lot more people living longer.
Authors, Andrew Miller and William
P. propose that evolution and genetics have bound together depressive symptoms
and physiological responses that were selected on the basis of reducing
mortality from infection.
Their theory has led to the
explanation between stress and depression, a byproduct, of a process that reactivates
the immune system in anticipation of a wound.
The immune system is activated with
disruption in sleep patterns, eating disorders and mood disorders
Depression occurs one in ten
adults, so it is good to be aware of this disease. This article is important
because it relates to as humans and that depression and the genes that promote
this adaptive for helping young people. Because, of the fact that many people
die from infections, surviving them and becoming immune to infections is
important since we can pass it on through our genes.
I thought that this article could
be improve if Emory University could have explain the previous proposals of
depression, to try and help readers understand the article. The article is well
written and is more understandable if the reader has a scientific
understanding.
Emory University. "Depression
Could Be Evolutionary Byproduct of Immune System." Biology News Net. Emory
University, 01 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/03/01/depression_could_be_evolutionary_byproduct_of_immune_system.html>.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/03/01/depression_could_be_evolutionary_byproduct_of_immune_system.html
This review, by Emma, presented three things well. These points include the idea that depression arose during the evolution of humans. Also, the possibility that depression could be programmed in our brains was exhibited well along with how the immune system functions and when it is activated.
ReplyDeleteThere was some significant room for improvement in this review. For example, depression, last I checked, was not considered a disease. If I'm wrong, maybe it should be clarified in the review that 'depression is a disease because...' so on and so forth. I also thought it would be smart to define depression itself. It may not seem necessary, but the direct definition is something that could be useful to the reader. Lastly, what about depression in children? How common is it for adolescence? I think that would be more effective considering most of the readers on this blog are teenagers.
I found the fact that one in ten people in the United States are effected by depression a bit striking. Prior to this, I actually thought that depression was a lot more common. I guess it really depends on your definition of depression, but the way I see it, most people suffer from depression, whether it be long-term or short-term.
This was an interesting review. First of all, the reviewer does a good job of setting up the context of this article with good information on the past and our predecessors’ related habits as humans evolved. She also articulately explains the theory that scientists currently hold: depression could have helped in the past because it caused one’s immune system to become stronger and put up its defenses in the anticipation of a wound. I also appreciated that she noted the prevalence of depression now, giving this review relevance by linking this study of much in the past to the here and now.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do think the writing was a little hard to follow at points, as it was choppy and didn’t describe all the terms sufficiently. I would also suggest that the reviewer could elaborate on the actual experiment, as I don’t feel like the information was that thorough.
From this review I learned how depression, a significant issue for a great portion of our population, was actually evident in our early ancestors. And furthermore, that it might have even been a good thing. That’s a weird thought.