Experts at Stanford Medicine found a new type of depression. They call it the ‘cognitive biotype.’
This type affects about 27% of people with depression. Regular antidepressant medicines don’t work well for them.
People with this depression have trouble with planning, focusing, and controlling their behavior. Brain scans showed less activity in the parts of the brain that handle these tasks.
Why Is This New?
Usually, doctors treat depression as a mood disorder. They often prescribe medicines that boost serotonin (a brain chemical). These medicines are called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).
But they don’t work as well for people with thinking problems. Other treatments or medicines might work better, say the scientists.
The Bigger Picture
This study was part of a bigger project. The goal is to find treatments that work best for different types of depression.
The lead scientist, Dr. Leanne Williams, said, “We want to find a new way to make treatment faster and more effective.”
How Was the Study Conducted?
The scientists studied over a thousand adults with depression. They gave them one of three popular antidepressants. These medicines work on brain chemicals called serotonin and norepinephrine.
Before and after the treatment, the scientists checked the participants’ depression symptoms. They used two surveys—one filled out by a doctor, and one filled out by the participants.
These surveys asked about changes in sleep, eating, social life, work life, and overall quality of life.
The participants also took some thinking tests. And some of them had brain scans while doing a special task.
What Did They Find?
The scientists found that 27% of the participants had a different profile. They had more problems with slow thinking and sleeping, and they did worse on the thinking tests.
Their brain scans also showed less activity in certain areas. This profile is what the scientists called the ‘cognitive biotype.’
Why Does This Matter?
Dr. Laura Hack, the study’s lead author, said this finding is important. Right now, doctors mostly use observations and self-report measures to decide on treatments. Using brain scans and thinking tests is new and exciting.
What’s Next?
After the treatment, the scientists found that people with the new biotype didn’t respond as well to the medicines. This was especially true for one of the medicines, sertraline.
Dr. Williams and Dr. Hack suggest using behavior measurements and brain scans to diagnose different types of depression. This could lead to better treatment.
In the future, a patient could fill out a survey on their own computer or at the doctor’s office. If the survey shows they might have a certain type of depression, they could get a brain scan before treatment.
Williams and Hack are also studying a new medicine. This medicine targets the part of the brain that’s less active in people with the new biotype. They hope this treatment could be more effective.
Finally, they plan to compare different treatments for people with the new biotype. They want to see if things like brain stimulation or therapy might work better than medicines.
“I see how hard it is when people don’t respond to treatment,” said Dr. Hack. “This study could help change that.” She and her team hope their work can make depression treatment more personalized and more effective.
If you care about depression, please read studies about how dairy foods may influence depression risk, and B vitamins could help prevent depression and anxiety.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies that ultra-processed foods may make you feel depressed, and extra-virgin olive oil could reduce depression symptoms.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
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