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Depression Treatment Breakthroughs With the introduction of a new generation depression treatment breakthroughs, scientists are targeting this disease with greater precision than ever before. These strategies are designed to help you avoid relapses, and discover the right medication. Psychotherapy is an option if antidepressants do not work. depression and anxiety treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy as well as interpersonal psychotherapy. Deep Brain Stimulation Deep brain stimulation is a surgical method where electrodes inside the brain are used to target specific areas of the brain that can cause disorders and conditions such as depression. The electrodes are connected to a device which emits electric pulses in order to treat the disease. The DBS device is referred to as neurostimulator. It is also used to treat other neurological disorders, such as essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. The DBS device's pulsing may “jam up” circuits that cause abnormal brain activity during depression, leaving other circuits unaffected. Clinical trials of DBS have shown significant improvements for patients suffering from treatment resistant depression (TRD). Despite positive results, TRD recovery is not the same for every patient. Clinicians rely on subjective reports from interviews with patients and psychiatric rating scales that are difficult to interpret. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, have developed an algorithm that can detect subtle changes in brain activity patterns that can distinguish between stable and depressive recovery states. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, exemplifies the importance of combining neuroscience, medical and computer engineering disciplines to develop potentially life-changing treatments. During the DBS procedure, doctors place a small wire-like lead into the brain through a hole in the skull. The lead is equipped with a variety of electrodes at its tip that transmit electrical signals to the brain. The lead is connected to an extension cable that extends from the head, through the ear, and down to the chest. The extension wire and the lead are connected to an implanted battery-powered stimulator under the skin of your chest. The programmable neurostimulator produces electrical impulses to regulate abnormal brain activity in areas targeted by DBS devices. In the study, the team utilized DBS to target a region of the brain called the subcallosal cingulate cortex (SCC). Scientists found that stimulating the SCC caused a rise in dopamine levels, which could help alleviate depression symptoms. Brain Scanners A doctor may employ a variety of tools and techniques to diagnose depression, but the most effective one to date is a brain scan. This technique employs imaging to observe changes at functional and structural levels of brain activity. It can be used by a patient to pinpoint the affected areas of their brain and determine what's happening in these areas in real-time. Brain mapping can also be used to determine which treatment will be most efficient for a particular person. Certain people respond better to antidepressant medication than others. However it's not always the situation. Utilizing MRI to evaluate the effectiveness of a medication, psychologists and physicians can be more accurate in prescribing it to their clients. It can also help to improve compliance by allowing patients to view how their treatment progresses. Despite its widespread use, research in mental health has been hampered by the difficulty in measuring it. Although there is a wealth of data regarding depression anxiety, depression and other issues, a comprehensive understanding of what causes these issues has been elusive. However, the latest technology is beginning to reveal the mechanisms behind these conditions. A recent study published in Nature Medicine, for example classified depression into six distinct subtypes. This paves the way toward individualized treatment. Researchers used fMRI to analyze the brain activity of 801 individuals with depression and 137 who did not. Researchers looked at the activation of brain circuits that are affected by depression, such as those which regulate cognition, emotions or. They examined the brain scans of a participant in a state of rest and while completing specific tasks. The results were that a combination of resting state and task-based measurements could be used to predict whether or not someone would respond to SSRIs. This is the first time a predictive test has been developed in the field of psychiatry. The team is now developing an automated tool that will provide these predictions. This is particularly helpful for those who do not respond to standard treatments like therapy and medication. In fact, up to 60% of people suffering from depression aren't responding to the first form of treatment they receive. Some of those patients are classified as treatment-resistant and can be difficult to treat with the standard treatment regimen However, there is hope that new technologies will help to optimize treatment options. Brain Implants Sarah had lived with a debilitating depression that she described as a black hole that pulled her down and a force of gravity that was so strong that she was unable to move. She tried a variety of drugs, but none had provided an indefinite lift. She also had undergone other treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy and ketamine infusions however, they failed to work. Then, she decided to undergo a procedure that would permit researchers to implant electrodes into her brain, and then send her a specific jolt whenever she was about to experience a depressive episode. Deep brain stimulation is a method that is used extensively in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. It has also been shown to be beneficial for patients who are not able to receive treatment. It is not a cure, but helps the brain cope. It uses a device to implant small electrodes in specific brain regions like the pacemaker. In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, two researchers at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) explain how they used a DBS device for the first time to create a custom the treatment of depression for the patient. They called it an “revolutionary” new method that could pave the way for the development of customizable DBS treatments for other patients. The team studied Sarah's brain's circuits, and found that her amygdala may be the cause of her depression episodes. They discovered that the ventral striatum, the deepest part of her brain is responsible for calming her amygdala's reaction. They then implanted the matchbox-sized device in Sarah's brain and attached its electrode legs that resembled spaghetti to the two areas. If a sign of depression develops the device instructs Sarah's brain to send a tiny electrical charge to the amygdala as well as to the ventral striatum. This jolt is meant to prevent the onset of depression and to help guide her into a more positive mood. It's not a cure, but it can make a significant difference for those who need it the most. In the future, it could be used to identify a biological marker that indicates a depression is on the way, allowing doctors to prepare by boosting the stimulation. Personalized Medicine Personalized medicine is an approach to tailoring prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies for individual patients based upon information gathered through molecular profiling, medical imaging, lifestyle data and so on. This differs from traditional treatments that are designed for the typical patient. This is one-size-fits-all solutions that may not be effective or efficient. Recent studies have uncovered several factors that cause depression in various patients. These include genetic variations and neural circuitry malfunctions, biomarkers and psychosocial markers as well as other factors. The goal of individualized psychiatry is to incorporate these findings in the clinical decision-making process to ensure the best care. It is also meant to facilitate the development and implementation of individualized treatment for psychiatric conditions such as depression. While the field of personalized psychotherapy is advancing, a number of obstacles remain in the way of its clinical implementation. For instance many psychiatrists are not familiar with the various antidepressants and their profile of pharmacology, which can result in a suboptimal prescription. It is also crucial to take into consideration the cost and complexity of integrating multiomics into healthcare systems, as well as ethical considerations. One promising avenue to advance the personalized psychiatry approach is pharmacogenetics. It aims at utilizing the individual's unique genetic profile to determine the appropriate dose of medication. It has been suggested that this could aid in reducing the risk of adverse effects of drugs and boost the effectiveness of treatment, particularly for SSRIs. However, it is important to emphasize that this is just an option and requires more research before being implemented. Furthermore, other factors like environmental influences and lifestyle choices are crucial to consider. Therefore, the integration of pharmacogenetics into depression treatment should be carefully balanced. Functional neuroimaging may also be used to aid in the choice of antidepressants or psychotherapy. Studies have demonstrated that the pretreatment activation levels of specific neural circuitries (e.g. ventral and pregenual anterior cingulate cortex) predict the response to both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments. Moreover, some clinical trials have already used these findings to help select participants, targeting those with higher activation levels and therefore showing more favorable responses to treatment.