This means scientists can see changes in the brain as they happen. The fMRI scan picks up the difference in the magnetic properties of oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin as the oxygen is delivered to the active area of the brain. Oxygen is delivered by the haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood to all the cells of the body. The increase in neural activity means there is an increased need for oxygen in this area. There have been various studies to try to identify the specific areas of the brain involved with anhedonia and depression.Īn imaging technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to scan the brain at work.įor example, as you talk, you use the brain cells in the front part of your brain. While rare in mild depression, it can be a serious problem for people who are severely depressed.Īnhedonia can continue after depression, but usually it goes away at the same time.Īntidepressant medicines only partially deal with anhedonia symptoms. Not everybody who has depression has anhedonia. Anhedonia and depressionĭepression affects one in every five people at some time in their lives and is a potentially fatal illness through suicide.ĭepression can be triggered by a sad event like a bereavement, by a physical illness or by imbalances in brain chemistry. An anhedonic mother gains no joy from playing with her baby, a footballer isn't excited when he scores the winning goal, a teenager is left unmoved by passing her driving test.Īnhedonia places a great strain on relationships and is usually accompanied by a loss of sex drive. There is no variation of mood, making it difficult to take things forward. They can't react properly or feel anything.

People with anhedonia have an incredibly flat mood. It was first identified in the 19th century, but was largely ignored until the late 1980s in favour of more obvious depressive symptoms such as low mood, poor concentration, tiredness, disturbed appetite and sleep, and suicidal thoughts.Īnhedonia is now recognised as a core symptom of depression and research by the Institute of Psychiatry in London is throwing new light on the links between the brain and depressive illness. Anhedonia is the inability to gain pleasure from enjoyable experiences.

An hedonic