MRI Predicts Success of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

The study, reported in the ‘New Research — Brief Reports’ section of the American Journal of Psychiatry April issue, suggests that being able to predict who will respond to cognitive behavioural therapy, and who will not, may prove to be a valuable tool for treating depression. According to the study’s leader Greg J. Siegle, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where the functional MRI (fMRI) imaging was carried out:

“We found that people with depression who have increased activity in one area of the brain and decreased activity in another in response to emotional stimuli, are more likely to respond to a specific treatment — cognitive therapy,” said Siegle. “If this finding holds true, we may be able to predict what therapies will be most effective.”

Not that fMRI machines are available in every hospital…or even affordable for the bulk of patients…but nonetheless, the study promises to further our understanding of how and why particular approaches work well for some people and not as well for others.

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