After centuries of study, mental disorders are still largely a mystery, but U scientists aren’t ready to give up, especially when it comes to various forms of depression.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is recruiting participants to take part in a new study that will look into neurological and biological differences between bipolar disorder and clinical depression. The main goal of the study is to determine what the differences are between the two and to create objective tests to help psychiatrists make a better diagnosis, said William Marchand, principal investigator and U professor of psychiatry and psychology.
Many times, when people receive clinical help after their first major episode of depression, the therapist or psychiatrist will misdiagnose patients with clinical depression when they might actually have bipolar disorder, Marchand said. If this happens, they often will be placed on the wrong medication, which can make their symptoms worse, he said.
“After an episode of depression, we cannot tell if a person has bipolar disorder or major depression,” Marchand said. “Right now, there is no good way to objectively tell the difference between (clinical depression) and bipolar (disorder).”
The study will take place in two phases. In the first, researchers will recruit subjects in three groups: those with bipolar disorder, those with depression and those without any previous neurological disorders, said Susanna Johnson, the study coordinator. The researchers will give the participants a long survey of questions to determine if they fit the correct criteria.
The study has strict criteria that each subject must meet in order to participate. The people in the control group8212;those without previous neurological disorders8212;are the easiest to recruit because they can better control the outcome, Johnson said. To find this group, the School of Medicine is posting signs around campus asking anyone who matches the criteria to give their time for the study.
“Past research has shown right-handed people and left-handed people have different brain activities,” and brain activities between male and females are also different, Johnson said. “Any factor that might play into brain activity, we control.”
After making sure subjects meet their criteria, researchers will take brain scans of the three groups, using a functional MRI scan, Marchand said.
While the participants are in the fMRI machine, researchers will ask them to do a series of activities, such as answering questions or pushing buttons, and the scanner will record which part of the brain lights up, or activates, Johnson said.
Researchers will then compare the results from the three groups.
Researchers are still in the beginning recruitment stage, though they have started their initial assessment of participants, Johnson said.
