Brain Waves Predict Depression Meds

Andrew F. Leuchter, M.D., is a UCLA professor of psychiatry and Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, in the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the UCLA. "Odds are the first medicine you choose for a patient is not going to be the one that is going to get them all the way to well," says Dr. Leuchter. "So what we really need is a more intelligent way to choose medications and customize it so that we find the right drug for the right patient."

Using quantitative EEG, a non-invasive computerized measurement of brain wave patterns, researchers discovered that specific changes in brain-wave activity precede clinical changes brought on by medication. "So we can, within 10 or 15 minutes, record enough brain activity that we can get a good assessment of how a patient's doing on a medication, and it's something that is practical enough and can be done in any doctor's office," says Dr. Leuchter.

They record the EEG before the start of treatment and then record a second EEG at the end of the first week of treatment. At this point, doctors can see how that individual's brain is responding to the antidepressant. "If they show the right signal we can say with a pretty good degree of certainty that is the right medication," he says. More than just helping get the right medication, the process can help encourage a patient to stick with their prescribed treatment. Within days, rather than weeks or months, the doctor and patient can feel more secure about the treatment plan. This technique also could slash the time and costs needed to develop and research new antidepressants, according to researchers.

I think this sounds good. I'm pro-brain-waves.