Modeling the Adaptive Role of Environmental Influences and Epigenetics on Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a seasonally recurring mood disorder characterized by depressive episodes during a regular time of the year. Among other environmental, behavioral, and genetic factors, increasing evidence suggests dysregulation of the circadian rhythm of the body plays a significant role in the development of the disorder. This paper introduces a fifth-order adaptive self-modeling network aiming to gain a better understanding of the contributing factors in the onset of SAD. The computational model proposed in this paper contributes to mechanistic understanding of SAD and helps to study preventative measures of SAD at the epigenetic level.