An innovative diagnostic technique invented by a Monash University researcher could dramatically fast-track the detection of mental and neurological illnesses.
Monash biomedical engineer Brian Lithgow has developed electrovestibulography which is something akin to an 'ECG for the mind'. Patterns of electrical activity in the brain's vestibular (or balance) system are measured against distinct response patterns found in depression, schizophrenia and other Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders.
The vestibular system is closely connected to the primitive regions of the brain that relate to emotions and behaviour, so Lithgow saw the diagnostic potential of measuring and comparing different patterns of electrovestibular activity.
Working with psychiatry researchers at Monash University's Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc) in Melbourne, Australia, he tested volunteers and found distinct response patterns, or "biomarkers", that distinguished different CNS diseases from each other and from regular electrovestibular activity.
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT"
Showing posts with label biomarkers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biomarkers. Show all posts
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Biomarkers of Illness and Treatment
Research on biological markers of disease process and treatment response were highlighted at the 48th annual New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit meeting, “New Research Approaches for Mental Health Interventions,” convened by the NIMH, May 27-30 in Phoenix.
In a workshop on biomarkers, pharmacogenetics, and pharmacogenomics, Michael Henry, MD, of Caritas St Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, indicated that technological improvements in scanner design, along with increasing understanding of neuropathophysiology, “offer an unprecedented opportunity for utilizing brain imaging techniques to improve the precision of clinical trials.”
Henry foresees the application of technologies such as MRI, PET, and single photon emission CT to reduce diagnostic variability in study populations, measure drug penetration of target sites, and establish biomarkers of therapeutic efficacy. Although imaging in clinical trials is most common in cardiology and oncology, Henry noted its recent use in trials of agents for dementia, depression, and psychosis.
Andrew Leon, PhD, of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, agreed with the described potential of biomarkers to serve as primary end points in clinical trials but reminded conferees that the current status is either as secondary end points or “hypothesized moderators of outcome.” To go forward, he asserted, clinical trials will need to include validity testing of putative biomarkers.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC TIMES
In a workshop on biomarkers, pharmacogenetics, and pharmacogenomics, Michael Henry, MD, of Caritas St Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, indicated that technological improvements in scanner design, along with increasing understanding of neuropathophysiology, “offer an unprecedented opportunity for utilizing brain imaging techniques to improve the precision of clinical trials.”
Henry foresees the application of technologies such as MRI, PET, and single photon emission CT to reduce diagnostic variability in study populations, measure drug penetration of target sites, and establish biomarkers of therapeutic efficacy. Although imaging in clinical trials is most common in cardiology and oncology, Henry noted its recent use in trials of agents for dementia, depression, and psychosis.
Andrew Leon, PhD, of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, agreed with the described potential of biomarkers to serve as primary end points in clinical trials but reminded conferees that the current status is either as secondary end points or “hypothesized moderators of outcome.” To go forward, he asserted, clinical trials will need to include validity testing of putative biomarkers.
READ MORE @ PSYCHIATRIC TIMES
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Researchers May Have Found Test For Depression
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have discovered that a change in the location of a protein in the brain could serve as a biomarker for depression, allowing a simple, rapid, laboratory test to identify patients with depression and to determine whether a particular antidepressant therapy will provide a successful response.
"This test could serve to predict the efficacy of antidepressant therapy quickly, within four to five days, sparing patients the agony of waiting a month or more to find out if they are on the correct therapeutic regimen," said Mark Rasenick, UIC distinguished university professor of physiology and biophysics and psychiatry.
Despite decades of research, the biological basis of depression is unknown, and the molecular and cellular targets of antidepressant treatment remain elusive, although it is likely that these drugs have one or more primary targets.
Rasenick said the discovery could help millions who suffer from undiagnosed depression or receive unsuccessful treatment.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
"This test could serve to predict the efficacy of antidepressant therapy quickly, within four to five days, sparing patients the agony of waiting a month or more to find out if they are on the correct therapeutic regimen," said Mark Rasenick, UIC distinguished university professor of physiology and biophysics and psychiatry.
Despite decades of research, the biological basis of depression is unknown, and the molecular and cellular targets of antidepressant treatment remain elusive, although it is likely that these drugs have one or more primary targets.
Rasenick said the discovery could help millions who suffer from undiagnosed depression or receive unsuccessful treatment.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
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