"Brain scans of preschoolers with depression revealed elevated activity in the amygdala (the small area in the red circle) when compared with scans of young children exhibiting no signs of depression....
"Gaffrey said it's possible depression affects the amygdala mainly by exaggerating what, in other children, is a normal amygdala response to both positive and negative facial expressions of emotion. But more research will be needed to prove that. He does believe, however, that the amygdala's reaction to people's faces can be seen in a larger context.
"Not only did we find elevated amygdala activity during face viewing in children with depression, but that greater activity in the amygdala also was associated with parents reporting more sadness and emotion regulation difficulties in their children," Gaffrey said. "Taken together, that suggests we may be seeing an exaggeration of a normal developmental response in the brain and that, hopefully, with proper prevention or treatment, we may be able to get these kids back on track."
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-07-brain-differences-depressed-preschoolers.html
Gaffrey, et al. (July 2013). "Disrupted amygdala reactivity in depressed 4- to 6-year-old children." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry vol. 52 (7), pp. 737-746.
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