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Cambridge Neuroscientists author the 'Research Front Paper' in the field of Psychiatry/Psychology for March and April, 2010

Professor Ed Bullmore (left) and team at the Department of Psychiatry and Brain Mapping Unit, Cambridge, are the authors of the Emerging Research Front Paper in the field of Psychiatry/Psychology with their paper on Modern Brain Scanning & Antidepressant Drugs

Their paper entitled:

"Attenuation of the neural response to sad faces in major depression by antidepressant treatment - A prospective, event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study"

was published in Archives of General Psychiatry in September, 2004 and is currently listed as the top emerging research front paper in Psychiatry / Psychology for March to April, 2010. This finding is reported by Science Watch this month with Essential Science Indicators from Thomson Reuters performing a complex Research Front analysis to determine the number of core papers contained in the paper and the citations received.  

When interviewed by Science Watch on this finding Professor Ed Bullmore commented:

"it (this paper) was one of the first event-related fMRI studies to show the effects of depression and antidepressant drug treatment on brain activation elicited by "events" consisting of emotional faces showing different intensities of sadness. More generally, it was one of the first generation of fMRI studies to look at any drug effects on brain function in any clinical disorder.

I hope that this study is one small additional piece of evidence in support of the idea that mental health disorders are brain disorders and the aspiration that one day we may do a better job for psychiatric patients by using the power of modern neuroscience for more decisive therapeutic impact."

Article written by Dr. Hannah Critchlow, Cambridge Neuroscience Coordinator.

Posted on 19/04/2010