First, scan the brain; second, assess the antidepressant

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As the L.A. Times reported recently in its special Health issue on depression: ‘A good way to speed up the process of finding an effective antidepressant would be to learn sooner whether a particular drug was going to work.’

That story, ‘Brain tests could predict antidepressant efficiency,’ noted that researchers were experimenting with noninvasive ways -- such as imaging tests and electrophysiologic studies -- to assess how the brain responds to the medications.

The results from one such study have now been reported in the September issue of the journal Psychiatry Research. And the authors, from UCLA, say they suggest an ability to assess within a week whether a particular drug might work. In depression, a week is a long time.

The study, conducted at nine sites around the country and involving 375 depressed people, measured brain wave patterns before -- and after -- a week of Lexapro use. The researchers were looking for changes in brain activity that come well before a depressed person’s mood actually improves.

The researchers ultimately were able to predict medication effectiveness with 74% accuracy, they said.

Here’s the full story from UCLA, in which lead author Dr. Andrew Leuchter calls the results ‘a milestone in our efforts to develop clinically useful biomarkers for predicting treatment response in MDD.’ (That would be ‘major depressive disorder.’)

As a related story in Health’s depression issue noted: ‘Treating depression can be hit or miss. Doctors have more than 20 medications to choose from. But finding the right one is a process of trial and error.’

Such results may lead to less error.

Researchers reported in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry that antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed class of drugs in the country. In 1996, 5.84% of people age 6 and older were taking the drugs. In 2005, 10.15% were.

-- Tami Dennis