The Joyful Brain: Gamma Waves

A recent study led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of Szeged in Hungary found that the timing and strength of gamma signals in the olfactory bulb (the part of the brain that processes smell) can alter emotions. Gamma oscillation changes are biomarkers of depression, thus the study showed that altering such signals works to counter depression.
This was found by studying biomarkers of major depressive disorder, or MDD, a commonly debilitating psychiatric illness that increased by more than 50 million new cases with the pandemic. Depression is a major issue, globally holding the record for the leading cause of disability; and there are few effective treatments beyond medication, which can even lead to increased long-term symptoms such as suicidality. For drug-resistant MDD patients, alternative treatment is necessary.
This further provides evidence as to how neurofeedback can be used to help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety through gamma enhancement.
"Our experiments revealed a mechanistic link between deficient gamma activity and behavioral decline in mice and rat models of depression, with the signal changes in the olfactory and connected limbic systems similar to those seen in depressed patients,” says corresponding study author Antal Berényi, MD, PhD, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone Health. 

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