Sometimes being sad means more than being down.
In fact, a new study is showing that for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), being SAD can mean being up; up in the speed at which serotonin is removed from the brain.
The study, headed by Dr. Brenda McMahon of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark and published in European Neuropsychopharmacology connects a gene to increased level of serotonin uptake during the winter months in people affected by SAD to a serious shift in mood.
People who have the gene, called 5-HTTLPR, have a cerebral serotonin transporter encoded that controls how efficiently the brain removes serotonin (a neurotransmitter associated with happiness) from the brain.
People who are affected by this disorder experience a depressed mood and low energy during the gloomy months from late Autumn through winter.
However, the study also shows hope for those genetically predisposed to the disorder. The researchers found that some people who are shown to have the gene have only a limited effect on their seasonal mood.
“We found that some people who you would expect to have SAD because of their genetic disposition were nevertheless able to control how much serotonin transporter was produced,” said Dr. McMahon.” Which means that they were able to regulate how much serotonin was removed from their brain.”
Furthermore, the research shows a positive outlook for the treatment of sad with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a drug class that makes up most antidepressants.
So, feeling the blues during the winter months could be something so much more than meets the eye.
information in this story is adapted from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323270.php