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Review
. 2017 May 13:23:2267-2274.
doi: 10.12659/msm.901240.

The Evolutionary Theory of Depression

Piotr Gałecki  1 , Monika Talarowska  1
Affiliations
Review

The Evolutionary Theory of Depression

Piotr Gałecki et al. Med Sci Monit. .

Abstract

The evolutionary success of Homo sapiens is attributed to the following two factors: the upright body posture (which freed our hands and allowed unconstrained operation of various objects) and intensive development of the frontal lobes, mainly the Broca area of the brain. Underlining the uniqueness of the human brain, we often forget about the fact that the frontal lobes - the most developed part of the brain - are at the same time our greatest weakness, exposed to the action of damaging factors in our evolving environment. Is depression the cost of evolution?

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The tasks of the frontal lobes and the consequences of their dysfunction [15].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Biopsychosocial etiology of depression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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