Discover the power of CBT - How brain circuits change after treatment

The brain is an intriguing organ that governs our sensations, movement, and perception of the environment. The circuits in the brain that influence emotions and emotional responses, primarily the limbic system (which encompasses structures such as the hippocampus, responsible for learning and memory, and the amygdala, which affects fear and primal emotions), are central to research examining the impact of various therapies on mood disorders.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is extensively researched for addressing problems such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and low self-esteem. Neuroimaging studies, which examine the functionality of brain structures, indicate changes in brain activity in individuals with mood disorders who have undergone CBT.

The amygdala becomes active when we encounter danger. In conditions like anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and other mood disorders, the amygdala is excessively activated, signaling to the brain that we are facing a threat even during ordinary events (like an exam, social gatherings or even texting after a date).

After examining this, scientists observed that following CBT, the brain undergoes changes, particularly affecting the limbic system, which is responsible for emotions. The amygdala becomes less active when encountering a threat, allowing the new neural pathways to better differentiate between threat and safety. This effect was more pronounced with more successful treatments.

Check out these papers for further information:

Ipser, J. C., Singh, L., and Stein, D. J. (2013). Meta-analysis of functional brain imaging in specific phobia. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 67, 311–322. doi: 10.1111/pcn.12055

La Buissonniere-Ariza, V., Fitzgerald, K., Meoded, A., Williams, L. L., Liu, G., Goodman, W. K., et al. (2021). Neural correlates of cognitive behavioral therapy response in youth with negative valence disorders: A systematic review of the literature. J. Affect. Dis. 282, 1288–1307. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.182

Gorka, S. M., Young, C. B., Klumpp, H., Kennedy, A. E., Francis, J., Ajilore, O., et al. (2019). Emotion-based brain mechanisms and predictors for SSRI and CBT treatment of anxiety and depression: a randomized trial. Neuropsychopharmacology 44, 1639–1648. doi: 10.1038/s41386-019-0407-7

Zhou, W., Yuan, Z., Yingliang, D., Chaoyong, X., Ning, Z., and Chun, W. (2021). Differential patterns of dynamic functional connectivity variability in major depressive disorder treated with cognitive behavioral therapy. J. Affect. Dis. 291, 322–328. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.017