New depression biomarker enables clinical trial in precision therapies

About the Project

The Williams laboratory in the Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness has developed a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurement method to quantify activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the human brain, and have also established a correlation between this fMRI measurement and the occurrence of a cognitive subtype of major depressive disorder. With funding from the IMA, Dr. Williams evaluated 30 patients designed to evaluate whether the fMRI biomarker can predict responsiveness to immediate release guanfacine, a selective α2A adrenergic receptor agonist for patients with the cognitive subtype of major depressive disorder. Williams and team recently received a U01 from the NIH to further define depression’s cognitive subtypes and create tools for physicians to diagnose and treat patients. IMA support was integral to this success.