A few weeks after receiving botox treatment for wrinkles,
around half of patients find relief from depression. (See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24910934.)
The obvious conclusion is they're simply happier with how they look. But what
if it's more than that?
#1 - Botox suppresses the release of
acetylcholine.
#2 – Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) respond to
acetylcholine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotinic_acetylcholine_receptor
#3 - nAChRs in the
brain can become desensitized after repeated exposure to stimulants. http://web.as.uky.edu/Biology/faculty/cooper/Bio401G/nicotineDesen.pdf
#4 - Recent drug research on new antidepressants has been
targeting nAChRs: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2012/104105/
So here's the basic theory:
We in the west eat a large amount
of choline-rich food, so we can easily synthesize lots of acetylcholine. The
constant exposure to plentiful acetylcholine in conjunction with other internal
and external stimulators of nAChRs can result in desensitization of the
nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in our brains, dysfunction of which receptors
is associated with depression. Botox allows a "reboot" of the system
by cutting the acetylcholine supply for a while, and the nAChRs become more
sensitive again.
And here's how to test it (beside getting botox treatments):
Go on a low-choline diet (unless you're pregnant) for a 3-4 days, during which it
would probably be good to also avoid anything that would mess with nAChRs (esp.
nicotine, alcohol,
and recreational drugs). Here’s a link
to the choline content of foods. See if you feel different a couple weeks
later. Don't do the low-choline diet for an extended period, though. We need
choline, just maybe not quite as constantly as we get it.
Perhaps the non-constant supply of choline-rich animal products (which are relatively expensive) in the diet of people in poor countries is part of the reason why it is sometimes found that rates of depression are higher in richer countries. Also intriguing is the connection between gardening (soil is full of the bacteria that makes botox) and less severe depression.
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