Personalized brain markers for late-life depression and resilience
Official title: Individualized brain biomarkers of late life depression: contributions to heterogeneity and resilience
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11092840 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for unique brain patterns in people over 60 with depression to find who is more vulnerable or more resilient to worse outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $464,438 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH128286-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11092840 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people aged 60 or older with a history of depression and available brain imaging or longitudinal health data.
✕Less likely to help
People younger than 60 or those without relevant brain imaging or follow-up data are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
People 60 and older with histories of depression will be grouped into clinically similar categories and their brain imaging and health data will be compared. Researchers will use many brain measures (for example, cortical thickness, gray matter volume, white matter changes, and connectivity) and follow changes over time. The team will combine data from large population resources like the UK Biobank to find profiles tied to symptom types (mood, somatic), severity, chronicity, and late onset. The goal is to identify risk and resilience factors that explain why people with similar symptoms can have very different courses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help clinicians predict who is at higher risk of worsening depression, stroke, or dementia and point toward more personalized prevention or treatment plans.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have found brain differences linked to late-life depression, but combining many brain measures to produce individualized profiles and link them to resilience is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bijsterbosch, Janine Diane — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Bijsterbosch, Janine Diane
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.