
FRIDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- Neurocognitive and personality variables may predict whether patients with treatment-resistant depression will respond to deep brain stimulation, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto, Canada.
Sidney H. Kennedy, M.D., of Toronto General Hospital, and colleagues studied the characteristics of nine patients with major depressive disorder who were treated with deep brain stimulation.
The researchers observed a significant reduction in depression and anxiety scores after six months and found that six subjects achieved a response. A favorable outcome was associated with higher baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) scores and being married.
"With increasing sample size, it will be important to evaluate baseline predictors of favorable outcome," the authors conclude.
Abstract
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