- The habenula ‘plays a key role in learning from bad experiences’
- The tiny region of the brain is half the size of a pea
- An over-active habenula is linked to depression, pessimism and negativity
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Scientists have identified the habenula as the part of the brain that warns something bad is going to happen
If you’re someone who always expects the worst to happen, then a tiny region in your brain may be to blame.
British scientists have pinpointed the area that warns something bad is about to happen, helping us learn
from our mistakes.
The habenula – which is about half the size of a pea – is thought to play an important role in learning from bad experiences, they say.
For some, an over-active habenula may be linked to depression, pessimism and a negative outlook on life.
It is hoped that greater understanding about how the region works could pave the way for new treatments for depression tackling low mood and negative attitudes.
Lead researcher Dr Jonathan Roiser, from University College London, said: ‘The habenula tracks our experiences, responding more the worse something is expected to be.
‘In this study we showed that the habenula doesn’t just express whether something leads to negative events or not; it signals quite how much bad outcomes are expected.’
The team at UCL scanned the brains of 23 healthy women, who were shown a random set of pictures, some of which signalled a painful electric shock delivered to the left hand.
The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans showed that shock-associated pictures activated the habenula.
The response was much stronger when the women were expecting to receive an electric shock.
Dr Roiser said the findings,
published in the latest edition of the journal Proceedings Of The
National Academy Of Sciences, may point the way towards new treatments.
He
added: ‘Other work shows that ketamine, which has profound and
immediate benefits in patients who failed to respond to standard
antidepressant medication, specifically dampens down habenula activity.
‘Therefore, understanding the habenula could help us to develop better treatments for treatment-resistant depression.’
The team found people with an over-active habenula were more likely to suffer depression, pessimism or a negative outlook on life
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