This technique makes it possible to observe the effects of a drug after two weeks of use.
- For some teens affected by anxiety, treatments don’t work
- Medical imaging can help assess the effects of treatment
- The analysis of the effects on the brain would make it possible to see after two weeks if a treatment is effective or if it should be changed
Anxiety has no age: it can affect us at all stages of life. 10 to 15% of children and adolescents are affected. This pathology is linked to brain dysfunctions, which can be solved with medication. But not all teenagers react the same way to these treatments, and for some, they will not be effective. An American research team is interested in techniques to better predict the effects of a drug on young people. In Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrythey explain that magnetic resonance imaging, more commonly known as MRI, makes it possible to quickly determine whether a treatment is working.
A delay divided by three
41 adolescents participated in the study, all of whom suffered from anxiety disorders. Escitalopram, an antidepressant, was prescribed to half the group. The others took a placebo. The experiment lasted eight weeks, but after two weeks all the teenagers had an MRI. The researchers then observed these images to assess the state of the brain connections. They were thus able to predict, with an 80% reliability, the future effectiveness of the treatment. “Changes in the brain help determine response to treatment and long-term improvements.”, say the researchers. They point out that doctors generally need six to eight weeks to assess the effectiveness of a drug on a patient. This method drastically reduces this time. “Doctors could determine, in just two weeks, if there is a need for an alternative treatmentsays Jeffrey Strawn, one of the authors of this study, and specialist in anxiety. Having this information early enough in treatment could significantly improve patient outcomes.“For adolescents, this method brings hope to find a life”normal” faster.
An effective treatment
This research also made it possible to observe the effectiveness of treatment with escitalopram. This medicine “strengthens the connections between a brain area that creates anxiety and another that serves as a brake for the feeling of fear“, specify the scientists. Concretely, this makes it possible to attenuate the overactivity of the areas of the brain associated with fear and thus to reduce the anxiety symptoms felt by adolescents.
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