Study suggests efficacy of MDD therapy linked to glucose metabolism

Researchers at Emory University reported data from an open-label trial examining brain glucose metabolism in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients receiving generic escitalopram or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for 12 weeks. In 38 evaluable MDD patients, anterior insula hypometabolism was associated with remission to CBT but poor response to escitalopram, an allosteric selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). In contrast, anterior insula hypermetabolism was associated with remission to escitalopram but poor response to CBT. Data were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

According to the Emory researchers, insula metabolism may serve as a pretreatment biomarker and would be the first objective marker to guide initial treatment of depression. The researchers said a prospective study in which patients are treated according to brain glucose metabolism is required to validate the results. ...