Aussies wanted for international groundbreaking study on depression

Australians researchers have put out a call for 400 people to take part in a study on depression.

The researchers at the Millennium Institute's Brain Dynamics Centre (BDC) in Westmead, Sydney want volunteers willing to participate in a large global study which aims to pinpoint the biological indicators of depression.

The international $18 million project will hopefully lead to the first clinical tests for the mental illness and the development of personalised treatments.

Researchers in Sydney and Adelaide say the international study will be the first of its kind and will hopefully reduce the time it takes doctors to find suitable treatments.

The director of Sydney's Brain Dynamics Centre, Professor Lea Williams, says unlike other health problems there are no tests to help decide the best treatment and the process becomes one of trial and error and can mean the depression can be prolonged until the right treatment is found.

The study aims to predict responses to a range of medications by identifying a person's unique physical and mental characteristics, 200 volunteers are being recruited to take part in the study in Adelaide and 200 in Sydney and all will be assessed before and eight weeks after starting medication.

In total 2,000 people across 20 research centres will be involved in the 'International Study to Predict Optimised Treatment in Depression (iSPOT-D)'.

The Brain Dynamics Centre (BDC) is a network of centres and units which carries out research on the healthy brain and disorders of brain function - the BDC says it's approach is one of 'integrative neuroscience' which brings together clinical observations, theory, and modern imaging technologies.

The BDC is currently researching ADHD and conduct disorder, stress and trauma-related problems, depression and anxiety, anorexia nervosa, psychosis (including early onset) and conversion disorders using a framework which links physiology, psychology and evolution.

The BDC says it is the coordinating site for an international network - BRAINnet (www.brainnet.net) which has over 180 members, and coordinates access to the first standardized database on the human brain for scientific purposes.

According to the BDC depression is ranked second only to ischemic heart disease in terms of societal and economic burden of disease and in Australia is estimated to cost the economy $3.3 billion in lost productivity each year.

The International study aims to identify genetic, brain and cognitive markers (or combinations of markers) that predict specific response to the three most commonly used antidepressants (Escitalopram, Sertraline and Venlafaxine XR) in subjects diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD).

The BDC says the ground breaking study, has the potential to change the way in which Personalised Medicine is implemented in depression.