Stanford Researchers Identify 6 Types of Depression Using Brain Imaging

Researchers at Stanford Medicine have identified six different biological subtypes, or “biotypes,” of depression and anxiety using new brain imaging and machine-learning techniques. The findings, published in Nature Medicine on Monday, could enable health care providers to better treat mental health disorders. Senior author Leeanne Williams, director of the Stanford Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said better methods for matching patients with treatments are “desperately needed,” according to a news release. Since losing her partner to depression in 2015, Ms. Williams has focused her work on the field of precision psychiatry. The study authors evaluated brain images of 801 people diagnosed with depression or anxiety and identified six patterns of brain activity. They found that these brain activity clusters were associated with different responses to medication and therapy and were triggered by different stimuli....