The Neuroscience of Sadness

Analytical bioengineer Parastoo Hashemi explores the brain chemistry of depression and whether a simple chemical test could aid diagnosis.

In this Royal Institution talk, analytical bioengineer Parastoo Hashemi examines the history of our understanding of depression and the three scientific theories first proposed in the mid-1900s: the monoamine, plasticity and inflammation theories. She explains how these ideas shaped the development of common antidepressants, and why current diagnoses rely on behaviour and questionnaires while treatments are chosen by trial and error. She also discusses her own research using ultramicroelectrodes to measure neurotransmitter levels, and whether a simple chemical test for depression might be possible. The event runs for 90 minutes in person at the Ri.