Brain Scans: A New Tool for Treating Depression Treating depression can be challenging for clinicians, with no way of knowing how a patient will respond. But brain scans taken before treatment may help predict which treatment is best for an individual patient, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry (Volume 70, page 821). In the study, researchers used a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner to obtain images of the resting brain in 63 people, ages 18 to 60, with depression. They then compared brain activity of patients who were successfully treated with that of those who saw no improvement. Participants had been randomly assigned to either 12 weeks of antidepressants or 16 weeks of psychotherapy. Based on the PET imaging, activity in the area of the brain known as the anterior insula -- responsible for such things as decision-making, emotions and body cues (such as hunger and cravings) -- appeared to be able to predict which depression treatment would elicit a patients response: cognitive behavior therapy or escitalopram (Lexapro). Low activity in the insula was associated with a better chance of successful treatment with cognitive behavior therapy and failure with escitalopram, while high activity in the insula correlated with successful treatment using medication and failure with therapy.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 04:13:53 +0000
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