Depression: a dysfunction of neurons at the origin of the negative perception of the world

French researchers have studied the role of the amygdala in the regulation of emotions in mice. By shedding light on the mechanisms of the "negativity bias", this study, which combines basic and clinical research, opens the way to new therapeutic perspectives.

Jumping at the sight of a snake, being drawn to the smell of warm bread in front of a bakery, or moving a few meters away when passing the local cheese shop. Smells often guide our reactions. But how are these reactions modified in depression?

Depression is an illness characterized, among other things, by a tendency to perceive sensory stimuli, such as odors, and everyday situations in general, in an excessively negative way. A team of researchers from the Pasteur Institute and the CNRS, in collaboration with psychiatrists from the GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Inserm and the CEA, have observed changes in a region of the brain induced by depression.