Psychological loss can occur when someone loses a job, loses a sense of control or safety or when a spouse dies. Such loss, which erodes well-being and negatively impacts quality of life, may be a common experience but little is known about the molecular process in the brain that occurs because of loss.
New research from the University of Cincinnati explores those mechanisms through a process known as enrichment removal (ER). The study highlights an area of the brain that plays a key role in psychological loss and identifies new molecular targets that may alleviate its impact.
The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
The research was led by Marissa Smail, a graduate student in the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology at the UC College of Medicine. She says she's always been interested in the mechanics underlying psychiatric disorders, in particular what molecular changes happening in the brain make certain symptoms emerge and how those mechanisms can be used to alleviate debilitating conditions.
Lead image of the amygdala region of the brain/Kateryna Kon/Getty Images
