Study Suggests , Amygdala Response , Can Predict Depression Treatment Outcomes.<br />'PsyPost' reports that a recent study found that people <br />with major depressive disorder with lower amygdala <br />activation are less likely to experience improvement. .<br />'PsyPost' reports that a recent study found that people <br />with major depressive disorder with lower amygdala <br />activation are less likely to experience improvement. .<br />The findings could help develop personalized treatment <br />plans for people with depression by identifying patients <br />who are less likely to respond to standard treatment.<br />The findings could help develop personalized treatment <br />plans for people with depression by identifying patients <br />who are less likely to respond to standard treatment.<br />The low success rate of initial <br />treatment underscores the need <br />for personalized treatment plans. .<br />Recording functional MRI signal whilst <br />seeing pictures of facial expressions of <br />emotions has been used widely to detect <br />an unconscious bias towards negative <br />versus positive emotional stimuli <br />in anxious individuals with <br />and without depression, Roland Zahn, senior author and a professor <br />of mood disorders and cognitive neuroscience <br />at King’s College London, via 'PsyPost'.<br />According to the results, a person's lower bilateral <br />amygdala activation in response to seeing sad versus <br />happy faces predicted poorer clinical outcomes.<br />After four moths of standard treatment, participants <br />with a weaker amygdala response to seeing <br />happy faces were less likely to see improvement.<br />After four moths of standard treatment, participants <br />with a weaker amygdala response to seeing <br />happy faces were less likely to see improvement.<br />'PsyPost' reports that the findings suggest that the brain's <br />ability to process positive emotions may play a critical <br />role in recovery outcomes for patients with depression.<br />We confirmed our prediction based <br />on previous research that people with <br />a weaker amygdala response to positive <br />relative to negative facial expressions <br />were less likely to improve their <br />depressive symptoms after four months, Roland Zahn, senior author and a professor <br />of mood disorders and cognitive neuroscience <br />at King’s College London, via 'PsyPost'.<br />The team behind the study suggests <br />treatments be developed that enhance the<br />brain's natural response to positive stimuli. .<br />The findings were detailed in a study published in the journal 'Psychological Medicine.'
