A recent study in Nature suggests that getting Botox in the forehead might affect how the brain processes emotions.
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What gives? The author of the Nature study and mental health experts weighed in on how Botox might affect happiness and other tools for mental health help.
Shauna Stark, MS, CCRP, the chief of staff and assistant dean of research operations at UCI School of Medicine, is the study's lead author. Stark and her team wanted to explore whether inactivating the glabellar (frown) muscles would impact the processing of emotional faces. The glabellar muscles may be responsible for your mouth frowning, but you can actually find them in your forehead and between the eyebrows.
Unfamiliar?
However, Botox can inactivate the muscles we use to express emotions. How might that influence processing? That's what Stark wanted to find out. Stark explains that she and her team measured brain activity in 10 healthy females who hadn't used Botox using an MRI. The participants looked at pictures of angry or happy faces during the MRI. They scanned the participants before inactivating their frown muscles, then again about two to three weeks after the Botox went into full effect.
"But we found differences in activity in both the amygdala, a structure important for emotional processing, and the fusiform gyrus, a region involved in the processing and recognizing faces when the glabellar regions were inactivated by botulinum toxin," Stark explained. "We interpreted these findings to support the facial feedback hypothesis, reflecting that inactivation of facial muscles can impact the neural activity for emotional processing."
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What the Study Doesn't Tell Us
Had a small sample size (10 women), which limits how applicable it is to the general populationIt only focused on immediate post-Botox effects. Longer-term studies are needed to explore whether the mood-related impacts of Botox are permanent.It also only looked at Botox injections in the forehead region—what about other areas?
Stark agrees that there were limitations but believes the research provides additional knowledge.
This literature includes research, such as a 2012 study, that indicates that using Botox to prevent frowning might help reduce depression symptoms.
"We don’t know exactly why this is the case, but Charles Darwin and William James hypothesized that emotional facial expression creates feedback signals that sense the body's position and movement ... and maintain and reinforce the expressed emotions," says Dr. Gary Small, MD, chair of psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center.
"The FDA has not approved Botox as a treatment for depression, but some psychiatrists have prescribed it off-label," Dr. Small says. "Botox treatment may offer the benefit of improved self-esteem, which could lift mood. I recommend that people discuss the potential benefits and risks of any medical treatment with their doctor."
"While emerging research on Botox's role in emotional processing and depression is intriguing, it remains in the very early stages," Dr. Khan says. "Individuals should rely on established treatments and consult healthcare providers when considering new therapeutic options."
Understanding the signs of depression can help you get the help you need.
These signs are:
Sleep impairment or insomniaInterest impairment or anhedonia (not enjoying activities you usually to love)Guilt feelingsEnergy downConcentration difficultiesAppetite lossPsychomotor retardation (thinking and/or moving more slowly than is usual for you)Suicidal thinking"For some individuals, therapy provides an opportunity to learn coping strategies and gain insight into how their brain functions, enabling them to work more effectively with their thoughts and behaviors," Dr. Geiselhart says.
Dr. Khan says that other resources include:
Medication management. "Please do not hesitate to discuss antidepressant medications with a psychiatrist, as they can be very helpful when indicated and are extremely safe," Dr. Khan says. "Do not let the misinformation being promoted for decades, especially recently, scare you from using proven treatments that can actually be lifesaving."Lifestyle modifications. Dr. Khan recommends regular exercise, good sleep hygiene and a healthy diet.Community support. Reach out to friends, family and groups. "Don’t deal with this alone," Dr. Khan says.Related: Jane Seymour Delivers Unfiltered Opinions on Aging: 'You Can Age Super Fast If You Give Up' (Exclusive)
Sources
Modulation of amygdala activity for emotional faces due to botulinum toxin type A injections that prevent frowning. Nature.Dr. Zishan Khan, MDShauna Stark, MS, CCRPDr. Christina Geiselhart, LCSWDr. Gary Small, MD
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