Anyone who has ever suffered from depression knows how impairing the mood symptoms can be. The pervasive sadness or irritability along with trouble sleeping, feeling hopeless, fatigued, and empty makes the world seem much darker than it is.
As if these aren’t difficult enough, clinical depression can also affect memory and hurt the cognitive functioning of your brain (and not just in older adults) although this isn’t mentioned as much as the other symptoms are.
More than half of depressed individuals also experience memory problems and brain fog. And when memory impairment arises, some people may even worry they are developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Although it may be difficult to discern these mental health issues from other depression symptoms in the midst of an episode, such changes in cognitive function can nonetheless disrupt a person’s thinking skills and ability to remember things, even after the other depression symptoms have lifted.
More than half of the people who develop depression experience cognitive changes, such as memory problems and brain fog. Share on X
HOW DEPRESSION IMPACTS BRAIN FUNCTION AND MEMORY
Like most mental health conditions, depression is complex and isn’t a simple or single disorder. In fact, symptoms can be caused by many different factors, including changes in the brain’s structure and function. Therefore, treating memory loss or other cognitive impairments that so often accompany major depressive disorder can be a challenge.
Clinically important research on depression, published in the medical journal Neuroimage: Clinical, utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and found decreased grey matter (atrophy) in the brain.
Atrophy was especially noted in two brain regions:
These areas of the brain are involved with paying attention, planning, decision-making, and judgment, along with other important aspects of cognitive function.
Similarly, in a study in the Journal of Affective Disorders, researchers observed decreased activity (low blood flow) in the PFC and ACG as well as other areas. Other brain regions included the left temporal lobe, a part of the brain that is critical for memory and emotional processing.
This suggests that the depression-memory loss connection is very real!
CAUSES FOR THE DEPRESSION-MEMORY LOSS CONNECTION
Although the specific underlying reasons for findings like these are still being researched, science does know there are several potential causes for the link between depression and memory loss.
Decreased synaptic connections: One is that during depressive episodes there often is a decrease in synaptic connections in the brain. This means that the communication between brain cells is disrupted and affects memory function, which can explain poor recollection or memory retrieval.
Brain chemical abnormalities: Abnormalities in neurotransmitters—such as decreased levels of serotonin and dopamine—and other brain chemicals can lead to a wide range of depressive symptoms.
They can also contribute to symptoms related to cognition and memory troubles, as well as a tendency to focus on negative events. Thus, when people seek treatment for depression, medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might be recommended to help balance brain chemistry.
Despite how concerning the abnormalities in brain function might sound, most people who struggle with depression and its persistent sad mood will find that the right mental health treatment options can help.
Positive lifestyle strategies and other depression treatments can not only boost mood and energy but also help with memory loss and clear up that annoying brain fog that disrupts normal executive function.
5 NEUROSCIENCE TIPS TO REVERSE MEMORY ISSUES DUE TO DEPRESSION
Taking steps to heal from depression and memory loss associated with it can improve how you feel as well as how your brain works. It requires doing things that support your brain function and avoiding behaviors that are harmful to it.
The following neuroscience-based lifestyle strategies can help you get back on your game again.
1. Begin (or resume) a regular exercise regimen.
Depression affects motivation, so when feeling really down, getting started might be hard at first. But, once you take that first step—even if it’s going for a walk down the street—you’ll notice it makes you feel a little better, which will motivate you to do it more often.
This happens because exercise increases blood flow in the brain and causes the release of neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine, that help people focus more on positive events rather than negative cognitions (thoughts).
Research published in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics found that strength training, aerobic activity, and mind-body exercise, such as yoga, can reduce depressive symptoms and induce neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to repair itself.
Furthermore, getting regular exercise is critical for reducing the risk of developing long-term cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Give meditation a try.
If you’ve never meditated before, when you do experience it, you will likely be pleased by the way it helps you feel more centered and grounded, as well as how it can improve brain function.
A 2019 study that analyzed the benefits of a daily 13-minute guided meditation over the course of eight weeks resulted in a better memory, mood, and focus, among other gains for the participants.
3. Consider transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
This non-invasive technology, which is FDA approved for the treatment of depression symptoms, uses a powerful magnet to stimulate blood flow in the brain.
In addition to it helping reduce depressive symptoms, a meta-analysis (review of multiple studies) published in Psychological Medicine found that TMS also improved working memory. This is the short-term memory that holds small bits of information needed from moment to moment while working on a task.
During a depressive episode, short-term memory is often compromised, which can cause difficulty concentrating making it hard to get things accomplished. With TMS, symptoms of depression and memory loss can be improved.
4. Switch to an anti-inflammatory diet.
Although you aren’t likely to physically feel inflammation in your brain, it can be a contributing factor to depression and memory loss and can cause brain fog.
Sugar and other high-glycemic foods as well as ones that are processed with hydrogenated oils promote inflammation and can exacerbate symptoms.
Therefore, it’s important to opt instead for foods that support the cognitive function of your brain, such as those found in a Mediterranean diet—tomatoes, leafy greens, berries, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and cold-water fish like salmon.
Nutritional supplements like omega-3 fatty acids and curcumins also have anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Give your brain a workout.
Just like we need to exercise our muscles to stay strong, we also need to engage in brain workouts, especially after depression-related memory problems have gotten in your way.
There are some very accessible (and often free) tools that affect memory and other residual cognitive issues in a helpful way and can easily be incorporated into your day. For example:
Tackle word search puzzles, Sudoku, Wordle, and crossword puzzles.
Try online brain games that require concentration, recall, and speed.
Learn new words from the dictionary (and practice using them).
Memorize the alphabet backward.
As your memory issues decrease and you’re able to think more clearly, boost your executive function even more with challenges like these:
Take a class on a new subject or hobby that interests you.
Brush up on the foreign language you studied in high school.
Learn to play a musical instrument, or learn a different one if you’re already skilled with a particular instrument.
To further enhance your cognitive function as you incorporate these treatment options to recover from depression, it is vital to get at least seven hours of sleep each night, increase your social connectedness, and avoid alcohol and recreational drugs like marijuana because they adversely affect mood and cognition functions, including memory problems.
OVERCOME DEPRESSION-RELATED MEMORY LOSS WITH DAILY PRACTICE
As you have learned here, depression and memory treatment options go beyond antidepressant medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
By practicing healthy lifestyle choices every day, you increase your capacity to heal from memory issues related to depression. This means you can get back to doing the things that you bring joy and fulfillment—and create positive memories to cherish in the future.
