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Studies show promising initial evidence that specific "neuroimaging markers" might help in predicting the chances of a good response to psychotherapy, or choosing between psychotherapy or medications, in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other diagnoses. "While some brain areas have emerged as potential candidate markers, there are still many barriers that preclude their clinical use," comments lead author Dr. Trisha Chakrabarty of University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Evidence of Neuroimaging Markers of Response to Psychotherapy The researchers analyzed previous research evaluating brain imaging scans to predict the outcomes of psychotherapy for major depressive and anxiety disorders. Psychiatrists are interested in identifying brain imaging markers of response to psychotherapy -- comparable to electrocardiograms and laboratory tests used to decide on treatments for myocardial infarction. The review found 40 studies including patients w...

Loyola Medicine psychiatrist Angelos Halaris, MD, PhD, presented the study at the Fifth International Congress on Psychiatry and the Neurosciences  in Athens, Greece. Dr. Halaris is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. The eight-week study enrolled bipolar adults, aged 18 to 65, who were in the depressive phase of their disease and had not benefitted from an antidepressant. (Bipolar disorder is marked by alternating periods of elation and depression, with depression typically lasting longer.) Patients were randomly assigned to receive the antidepressant escitalopram (Lexapro®) plus celecoxib or Lexapro plus a placebo. Seventy-eight percent of the patients in the celecoxib group experienced at least a 50 percent reduction in their depression scores, with 63 percent reporting their depression had gone away completely. By comparison, only 45 percent of the placebo group recorded a 50 pe...