It is primarily composed of four regions: the hypothalamus, the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the cingulate cortex. The hypothalamus controls stress. The amygdala is the key to reducing anxiety, fear, and other negative emotions. The hippocampus is responsible for creating long-term memories, and because its neurons are very sensitive to stress, it often acts as the canary in the coal mine of depression. Lastly, the cingulate cortex controls focus and attention, which is of huge importance in depression, because what you focus on, whether by automatic habit or willful choice, makes a huge
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