SCIENTISTS TO STUDY LINKS BETWEEN PHYSICAL ILLNESS AND DEPRESSION

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SCIENTISTS TO STUDY LINKS BETWEEN PHYSICAL ILLNESS AND DEPRESSION
01 November 2001 - Washington University in St Louis

Neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, are launching a study they hope will help clarify the mind/body connection in depressed older people.

The study, funded by a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, will evaluate whether physical illness can increase depression risk. Past studies have shown that older patients with depression tend to have abnormal lesions in frontal brain structures. Similar lesions show up in MRI scans of stroke patients and others with chronic, physical illness.

“The same factors that increase stroke risk also increase depression risk in older people,” says principal investigator Yvette I. Sheline, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, neurology and radiology at Washington University. “We want to learn whether brain lesions increase the risk of clinical depression and affect the treatment outcome.”

The researchers will study 320 patients who have had bouts of depression in later life. Many also will have other medical illnesses. All will receive MRI scans to help the researchers learn whether it is possible to correlate brain lesions with depression risk and whether patients with more lesions get more depressed or have depression that is harder to treat with commonly prescribed drugs.

“We’ll be studying many patients who, because of their medical illnesses, often are not eligible to participate in other studies of depression. In those studies, the goal is to isolate the causes and effects of depression apart from any influences of medical illness. In this study, we hope to learn about the interaction between the two,” Sheline said.

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About: Washington University in St Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a medium-sized, independent research university dedicated to challenging its faculty and students alike to seek new knowledge and greater understanding of an ever-changing, multicultural world. The university is counted among the world's leaders in teaching and research and draws students and faculty to St. Louis from all 50 states and more than 90 other nations. With 6,509 undergraduates and 5,579 graduate and professional students, as well as 1,384 part-time students, Washington University offers more than 90 programs and nearly 1,500 courses in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary majors.

Founded in 1853 by St. Louisans, Washington University is highly regarded for its commitment to excellence in learning. Its programs, administration, facilities, resources, and activities combine to further its mission of teaching, research, and service to society.

Set amid a thriving metropolitan region of 2.6 million residents, the University benefits from the vast array of social, cultural, and recreational opportunities offered by the St. Louis area. Bordered on the east by St. Louis' famed Forest Park and on the north, west, and south by well-established suburbs, the 169-acre Hilltop Campus features predominantly Collegiate Gothic architecture, including a number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

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