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Depression Treatment Breakthroughs With the new generation of breakthroughs in depression treatment, scientists are tackling this issue from more angles than ever before. These strategies are designed to help you avoid relapses and find the right drug. If your depression isn't responding to antidepressants, psychotherapy may be effective. These include cognitive behavioral therapy and psychotherapy for interpersonal relationships. Deep Brain Stimulation Deep brain stimulation is a surgical technique where electrodes inside the brain are used to target specific regions of the brain that can cause conditions and diseases such as depression. The electrodes are connected to a device that emits electric pulses to treat the condition. The DBS device, also referred to as a neurostimulator, is used to treat neurological conditions like epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. The DBS device's pulsing can “jam up” circuits that cause abnormal brain activity during depression, but leave other circuits unaffected. Clinical trials of DBS have demonstrated significant improvements for patients suffering from treatment resistant depression (TRD). Despite the positive results, the path to stable recovery from TRD differs for each patient. Clinicians must rely on subjective self-reports from patient interviews and the psychiatric rating scales that can be 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 differentiate between stable and depressive recovery states. The research of the scientists, published in Nature Human Behaviour, exemplifies the importance of combining neuroscience, medicine, 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 fitted with electrodes which send electrical signals to the brain. It then connects to an extension wire that runs from the brain, across the neck and behind the ear, down to the chest. The extension and lead are connected to a battery-powered stimulator under the skin of your chest. The programmable neurostimulator generates electric pulses to regulate abnormal brain activity in the regions targeted by the DBS devices. In the study, the researchers 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 aid in the treatment of depression. Brain Scanners A doctor can employ various methods and tools to diagnose depression, but the best one currently available is brain scans. This technology uses imaging to observe changes in brain activity on both the structural and functional levels. It can be used by a client to pinpoint the affected areas of their brain and determine the state of these regions in real-time. Brain mapping can help determine the type of treatment that is most effective for a particular person. Some people respond better antidepressant medications than others. However this isn't always the case. Physicians and psychologists can prescribe medications more accurately by using MRI to measure the effectiveness. Seeing how their treatment is going can help increase compliance. Despite its widespread prevalence the research on mental health has been hampered by the difficulty of measuring it. While there is a plethora of information about depression anxiety, depression and other issues, a comprehensive understanding of what causes these issues has been elusive. However, advances in technology are beginning to reveal the mechanisms that cause these disorders. A recent study published in Nature Medicine, for example classified depression into six distinct subtypes. This opens the way to personalized treatment. Researchers employed fMRI technology in order to analyze the brain activity of 801 people who suffer from depression, and 137 others who were not depressed. Researchers examined the activation of brain circuits that are affected by depression, like those that control cognition or emotions. They examined a participant's brain scans during the time of rest as well as while performing specific tasks. The results were that a combination of resting-state and task-based measurements could determine if a person would respond to SSRIs. This is the very first time that a predictive test in the field of psychiatry has been created. The team is currently working on developing an automated tool that will give these results. This is particularly beneficial for those who don't respond to standard therapies like therapy or medication. In fact, as high as 60 percent of people with depression aren't responding to the initial form of treatment they receive. Some of these patients are referred to as resistant to treatment and are difficult to treat with a standard regimen however, the hope is that new technologies will help to optimize treatment options. Brain Implants Sarah suffered from a debilitating form of depression that was debilitating. She described it as a black hole that pulled her down. It was a force so strong that she was unable to move. She tried all kinds of medicines but none of them gave an enduring lift. She also tried other treatments such as ketamine infusions and electroconvulsive therapy, but they too failed to work. Then, she decided to undergo a surgery that would permit researchers to implant electrodes in her brain to give her a targeted jolt every time she was about to have a depressive episode. www.iampsychiatry.com is a technique that is widely used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. It has also been proven to be helpful for some people who are resistant to treatment. But it's not a cure, but rather aids the brain in dealing with the disease. It relies on a device which implants small electrodes in specific parts of the brain, like a pacemaker for the mind. In a study published in Nature Medicine on Monday, two researchers from the University of California at San Francisco describe how they used the DBS to create a custom depression treatment for a particular patient. They called it a new “revolutionary” approach that could pave way for customized DBS treatments to be made available to other patients. For Sarah, the team mapped the circuits in her brain and discovered that her amygdala is the trigger of depression episodes. They found that the ventral striatum an area of her brain was responsible for calming her amygdala's reaction. They then implanted the matchbox-sized gadget in Sarah's head and strung its electrode legs shaped like spaghetti to these two regions. When a depressive symptom is observed, the device sends an electrical signal to Sarah's amygdala, as well as ventral striatum. This jolt is intended to prevent the onset of depression and nudge her into a more positive mood. It's not a cure, however, it can make a significant difference for those who need it the most. In the future it could be used to identify the biological signs that indicates a depression is on the way and allow doctors to prepare by increasing the stimulation. Personalized Medicine Personalized medicine is a method to adapting diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies to individual patients based on the information obtained through molecular profiling, medical imaging, lifestyle information and so on. This differs from conventional treatments that are designed for the typical patient. This is one-size-fits-all solutions that could not be efficient or efficient. Recent studies have revealed a myriad of factors that can cause depression in a variety of patients. These include genetic variations and neural circuitry dysfunctions as well as biomarkers, psychosocial markers and others. The aim of personalized psychiatry is to incorporate these findings into the clinical decision-making process to ensure the best treatment. It also intends to aid in the development and implementation of individualized treatment for psychiatric conditions such as depression. Personalized psychiatry continues to progress however, there are many obstacles still preventing its clinical application. Many psychiatrists aren't familiar with the pharmacological profile of antidepressants, which could lead to suboptimal prescribing. It is also crucial to consider the cost and complexity of integrating multiomics into healthcare systems as well as ethical concerns. A promising way to improve the concept of personalized psychiatry is pharmacogenetics, which works at using the individual's genetic profile to determine the appropriate dose of medication. This can help reduce the side effects of medications and boost treatment effectiveness, especially with SSRIs. It is important to note that this is a potential solution and further research is required before it can be widely adopted. Additionally, other factors such as lifestyle choices and environmental influences are important to take into consideration. Therefore, the integration of pharmacogenetics in depression treatment must be balanced. Functional neuroimaging is yet another promising method for guiding the selection of antidepressants and psychotherapy. Studies have shown the intensity of the activation process in certain neural circuits (e.g. ventral and pregenual anterior cingulate cortex) determine the response to psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatments. Certain clinical trials have utilized these findings as a guide to select participants. They focus on those who have higher activation and, therefore more favorable reactions to treatment.