CLINICAL APPLICATION OF BRAIN IMAGING FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF MOOD DISORDERS

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in Molecular Psychiatry and is available as an open access article on the nature website.. ABSTRACT In response to queries about whether brain imaging technology has reached the point where it is useful for making a clinical diagnosis and for helping to guide treatment selection, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has recently written a position paper on the Clinical Application of Brain Imaging in Psychiatry. The following perspective piece is based on our contribution to this APA position paper, which specifically emphasized the application of neuroimaging in mood disorders. We present an introductory overview of the challenges faced by researchers in developing valid and reliable biomarkers for psychiatric disorders, followed by a synopsis of the extant neuroimaging findings in mood disorders, and an evidence-based review of the current research on brain imaging biomarkers in adult mood disorders. Although there are a number of promising results, by the standards proposed below, we argue that there are currently no brain imaging biomarkers that are clinically useful for establishing diagnosis or predicting treatment outcome in mood disorders. This course on mood disorders and brain imaging is designed for psychologists, clinical social workers, nurses, and professional counselors who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of the relationship brain activity and mood disorders. The course is a research report and as such contains detailed information as well as statistical analysis and data which some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. Authors: Savitz, Rauch and Drevets Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the clinical application of brain imaging for the diagnosis of mood disorders. Specifically, a professional will: · Describe the current research on brain imaging biomarkers in adult mood disorders. · Identify the challenges in developing valid and reliable biomarkers for psychiatric disorders. · Identify if there are current brain imaging biomarkers that are clinical useful for diagnosis or prediction of treatment outcomes in mood disorders. Citation: Savitz, Rauch and Drevets. (2013). Clinical application of brain imaging for the diagnosis of mood disorders: the current state of play. Molecular Psychiatry (2013) 18, 528–539. published online 2 April 2013 Come visit us on the web at www.ce-classes.com