Understanding Brain Signals to Improve Depression Treatment
Invasive decoding and stimulation of altered reward computations in depression
This project explores how brain signals related to feeling rewarded are different in people with depression, hoping to create more personalized treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11136367 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Current treatments for depression, like medications and deep brain stimulation (DBS), often don't work well for everyone because depression varies greatly among individuals and its brain causes are not fully understood. This project aims to overcome these limitations by collecting very detailed brain activity data directly from inside the brain. Researchers will work with epilepsy patients who also have depression and are already undergoing neurosurgery, using advanced recording techniques. By analyzing these high-quality brain signals with machine learning, the goal is to develop patient-specific models of depression and design more targeted brain stimulation methods.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would likely be individuals with severe depression who are also undergoing neurosurgery for epilepsy and are candidates for invasive brain recordings.
Not a fit: Patients whose depression is well-managed by existing treatments or who are not candidates for invasive brain procedures may not directly benefit from this specific approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new, more effective, and personalized deep brain stimulation treatments for severe depression.
How similar studies have performed: While deep brain stimulation has been explored for depression, previous attempts guided by non-invasive imaging have shown limited success, making this invasive, patient-specific approach a novel direction.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Saez, Ignacio — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Saez, Ignacio
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 below.