A study conducted by researchers from Northeastern University in Boston indicated that depression symptoms in the brains of children under the age of seven years can be predicted and that warning signs that may predict future emotional problems can be observed early, according to the British "Daily Mail" website.
For many people with depression, symptoms such as anxiety and feeling do not start after rest and sadness until adolescence.
But American researchers who have studied about 100 children have found that they can predict cases of depression later in life at the age of 11 by scanning their brains when they are seven years old.
Data for 94 children who were scanned for their brains in an MRI machine showed less correlation between two parts of the brain believed to control decision-making and mood.
The high blood flow between these brain regions indicates that the cells “talk” to each other, and indicate that these children are managing their emotions well.
But low blood flow may indicate the opposite, and these children showed more signs of depression in a behavioral assessment after four years.