Thanks to an encephalogram and an algorithm, researchers have managed to predict the effectiveness of an anti-depressant.
Technology and science are deeply linked. A study published in Nature Biotechnology once again proves it. Researchers at the American University UT Southwestern have combined artificial intelligence and encephalograms to analyze the brain activity of depressive patients. The data obtained makes it possible to predict the effectiveness of a treatment. The researchers are pleased with the results of their experiment and believe that they will be able to revolutionize the management of this disease in the years to come.
#HAVE can predict whether an #antidepressant will work based on a patient’s brain activity, according to new findings in @NatureBiotech from @UTSW_CDRC. Learn how. https://t.co/u2Yhev7WqB #utswbrain pic.twitter.com/Dh8FqAzP1o
— UT Southwestern News (@UTSWNews) February 11, 2020
Very conclusive results
This scientific study involved more than 300 depressive patients. The aim was to determine their response to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the main class of antidepressants. The researchers first analyzed the brain activity of the participants using an encephalogram. Then, they used a predictive model built using a new algorithm, called ELSER, to scan the collected data. The results of the experiment exceeded the scientists’ expectations, and were confirmed with three additional groups of patients: the system predicted the effectiveness of treatments with correctness.
The cerebral signal analyzed concerns alpha waves, emitted from the prefrontral cortex. This area has a very different activity in depressed people, yet it plays an important role in emotional responses. The study shows that this region of the brain is more active in people who respond well to treatment.
Revolutionizing the treatment of depression
For Amit Etkin, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, who participated in the development of the algorithm: “Current methods of diagnosing depression are too subjective and imprecise to guide clinicians in quickly identifying the right treatment”. When a person is diagnosed with depression, eight weeks are needed to determine if the anti-depressant is effective. In the event of failure, the doctors generally test another treatment, always for 8 weeks, otherwise, it is possible to resort to transcranial brain stimulation and psychotherapy. “We’ve provided plenty of data that shows we can go beyond the guessing game to choosing treatments for depressionrejoices the lead author of the study Madhukar Trivedi, and it changes the way we think about the diagnosis and management of the disease.” For him, this research shows that patients will soon no longer need to go through the painful process of treatment trials.
A widespread disease
According to Inserm, depressive disorders can occur at any stage of life. One in five people go through a depressive episode in their lifetime. The treatments would be effective in 70% of cases.
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