Neural link discovered between depression and sleep disorders

A neural link between depression and sleep disorders has been found in a new study by the University of Warwick, UK and Fudan University, China.  The study published in JAMA Psychiatry involving 10,000 individuals found functional connectivity between areas of the brain associated with short-term memory, self and negative emotions, the brains of depressed individuals showed a neural connection between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (associated with short-term memory), the precuneus (associated with self) and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (associated with negative emotions).  The researchers found that 75% of the individuals with depression reported sleep problems such as difficulty in falling asleep and short duration of sleep.  Many reported finding it difficult to sleep whilst dwelling on negative thoughts.

NOTE:  JAMA Psychiatry is a peer reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association