Critical Reasoning

Baking for winter holidays is tradition that may have a sound medical basis. In midwinter, when days are short, many people suffer from a specific type of seasonal depression caused by lack of sunlight. Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood. In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants. Thus, eating holiday cookies may provide an effective form of self-prescribed medication.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage?

(A) Seasonal depression is one of the most easily treated forms of depression.

(B) Lack of sunlight lowers the level of serotonin in the brain.

(C) People are more likely to be depressed in midwinter than at other times of the year.

(D) Some antidepressants act by changing the brain’s level of serotonin.

(E) Raising the level of neurotransmitters in the brain effectively relieves depression.

IMO C.

IMO D

A) out of scope
B) the passage says that lack of sunlight causes depression but not how
C) The passage doesn't say anything about other times of the year so I think we can't compare
E) the passage says that raising the levels of serotonin we can improve the mood. Do we have any other neurotransmitters? of course so it's not true that raising the level of neurotransmitter improves the mood.

D) Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood. In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants

If carbohydrates act in the same way it's because some antidepressants also raise the level of serotonin.

I concur.

D it is.

Its "D"..because "carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants"

Baking for winter holidays is tradition that may have a sound medical basis. In midwinter, when days are short, many people suffer from a specific type of seasonal depression caused by lack of sunlight. Carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, boost the brain’s levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that improve the mood. In this respect, carbohydrates act on the brain in the same way as some antidepressants. Thus, eating holiday cookies may provide an effective form of self-prescribed medication.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred from the passage?

(A) Seasonal depression is one of the most easily treated forms of depression.

(B) Lack of sunlight lowers the level of serotonin in the brain.

(C) People are more likely to be depressed in midwinter than at other times of the year.

(D) Some antidepressants act by changing the brain’s level of serotonin.

(E) Raising the level of neurotransmitters in the brain effectively relieves depression.

situation:
1. lack of sunlight in midwinter triggeres SAD
2. carbs boost seratonin, a type of neurotransmitter
3. carbs act in the same way as antidepressants
4. therefore, eating cookies in midwinter alleviates depression.

A. no evidence on its relative ease of cure.
B. we know that lower light -> depression, but we're not told what the mechanism is in between. even though seratonin improves mood, this does not necessarily mean that the lack of it has an opposite effect.
C. we are only told that people get depressed in winter, but nothing about its relative likelihood wrt to other times of the year.
D. (2)&(3) basically says this.
E. not just any neurotransmitter. seratonin is one one that works, but we don't know about the others.

my answer: D

I'm going with D

definitely answer D