Neurocardiology & Overcoming Depression

[Kim B]

I am seeking to better understand WHY depression occurs after changes to the heart. The pump being used during OHS probably does account for some of it, but that doesn’t explain depression after heart attacks and bypasses. I’ve been googling and have come across some interesting sites. Here are a couple of them:

The Heart-Brain Connection: The Neuroscience of Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning
http://www.edutopia.org/richard-davidson-sel-brain-video

This is fascinating stuff. Overview:
- Changing behavior can change our brain (we’ve all heard that “fake it ’till you make it” and “act as if” can be useful tools, this video makes those concepts seem much more compelling by explaining HOW the brain processes those actions).
- Changing behavior can cause more brain changes than medications.
- The prefrontal cortex, which is engaged when we use positive emotion in decision making, is connected to the amygdala (the part of the brain that detects threats and generates negative emotions). A stronger connection seems to enable faster recovery from negative events.
- We can train ourselves to generate greater activity in the prefrontal cortex and in turn strengthen the connection to the amygdala. (Social and emotional learning).
- Regulating emotion is important not just to happiness but also to health. Studies show adolescents with strong prefrontal cortex activation in response to negative events tend to have lower levels of cortisol. Higher cortisol takes a toll on many organs, including the brain.

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Another interesting site is

http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart.html

It discusses the “heart brain” which is the intrinsic cardiac nervous system containing neural pathways that facilitate communication between the heart and the brain.

Also, this was news to me, that the heart was reclassified as an endocrine gland in 1983 and it releases a hormone called atrial natriuretic factor (ANF).

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This is just the “tip of the iceberg” in my attempt to understand how the brain and heart are connected. There are a lot of brilliant minds on vr.com. Does anyone have any thoughts on this topic?

 

[harleysandguitars]

A topic near and dear to me, as I have struggled with depression both pre- and post-surgery. Post-surgery has also added some guilt, as someone who is "lucky to be alive" (as I am) should theoretically be happy and not depressed.

Thanks for the links.

 

[ottagal]

Fascinating info. Thanks for sharing.

 

[tobagotwo]

I'm not at all certain that the pump does as much damage as we ascribe to it. In the earlier years of surgery, there was damage done by re-warming the patients too quickly after the surgery, as it caused a spike in the brain's oxygen requirements that sometimes resulted in anoxia. Now peolpe are brought back up to temperature more slowly.

Many years ago, I read that when the heart muscle is damaged or cut, chemicals are released that don't exist (at least in those concentrations) anywhere else in the body.

Unfortunately, it was before my abiding interest in heart matters, and I only have the memory that the article existed. I don't know the name of any of the chemicals involved.

I wonder if their presence in the bloodstream can cause other effects, like depression.

Best wishes,

 

[hensylee]

it is a known fact that heart problems and depression sort of go hand in hand.

 

[Kim B]

Many years ago, I read that when the heart muscle is damaged or cut, chemicals are released that don't exist (at least in those concentrations) anywhere else in the body.

Unfortunately, it was before my abiding interest in heart matters, and I only have the memory that the article existed. I don't know the name of any of the chemicals involved.

I wonder if their presence in the bloodstream can cause other effects, like depression.

Best wishes,

Interesting. I googled a bit more based on your input and discovered more to explore. Here's a definition that sounds like the chemical you mentioned:

creatine kinase: An enzyme produced by skeletal tissue and heart muscle. One form, creatine kinase-MB, is produced only by the heart. The amount of creatinine kinase-MB circulating in the blood is usually elevated when there has been damage to heart muscle, such as with a heart attack."

I wonder what the affect is of creatine kinase-MB on the brain and whether SSRIs even help if it is this enzyme causing the chemical imbalance. Perhaps blocking seratonin reuptake is not helpful if, in fact, the problem is caused by this heart chemical. Possibly another medication could be developed if a specific enzyme/chemical/hormone were found to be the culprit for the heart-related brain dysfunction. Since that won't happen anytime soon, maybe focusing more on the changing the brain through behavior is worth pursuing. At least it couldn't hurt. Hmmm. Thanks for the reply.

 

[netmiff]

I have depression, have had all my life, it gets worse at times, then better; I have been n meds for it for about 15 years now, and will take them as long as I am taking my warfarin! My depression, obviously, has nothing to with the heart that I know of, although I did have a BAV.

Meds can help you lift yourself out of the "blue funk", and make you more receptive to behavioural therapy. So, if anyone is in that position, don't refuse the meds without talking it over with a doctor. Meds and behavioural therapy are often prescribed together for many kinds of mood/mental disorders, like depression, anxiety and so on.