Summary
Researchers may have identified an area of the brain involved in the prediction of things about to go wrong or end unpleasantly. The habenula might be involved in depression; hyperactivity in this brain region may be associated with the pessimism found in depression.
Reference
Mundasad, S. (2014). ‘Pea-sized brain hub could shed light on depression’. London: BBC Health News, July 29th 2014.
This relates to:
Reference
Lawson, RP. Seymour, B. [and] Loh, E. [et al] (2014). The habenula encodes negative motivational value associated with primary punishment in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. July 28th 2014. [Epub ahead of print].
Possibly also of interest:
Reference
Tomaiuolo, M. Gonzalez, C. [and] Medina, JH. [et al] (2014). Lateral Habenula determines long-term storage of aversive memories. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, May 13th 2014, 8, pp.170. (Click here to view the PubMed abstract).