 |
 |
| |
Dr.
Leuchter measured physical changes in the brains of some depressed
patients on placebo medication. |
Depression
is a mysterious and debilitating illness, and scientists around
the world are searching for both better treatments and a better
understanding of what's actually happening in the depressed brain.
Since many of today's medications take several weeks to kick in,
tailoring the treatment to an individual can be a long and dangerous
process.
In
"Brainwaves Lift the Blues," Dr.
Andrew Leuchter at the University of California, Los Angeles
looked for early physical changes in the brain that might help doctors
predict how well a patient would do on a given antidepressant. Like
many other studies, Leuchter's showed that some 40% of the patients
on the placebo reported feeling better. But unlike previous studies,
Leuchter actually found a measurable physical response in these
people's brains.
|
|
 |
|
| Not
all depressed patients responded to placebo. Frank Strauss felt
worse and worse. |
|
As
with the patients on the real drug, the people who reported improvement
on the placebo experienced changes in activity in the brain's
prefrontal cortex. However, while people on the real drug experienced
decreased activity in that region of the brain, people on the placebo
showed heightened activity there. To Leuchter this variation suggests
that "there are multiple pathways to improvement. There's not just
one way to get better."
Moreover,
Leuchter suspects that the power of the placebo effect lies in the
relationship between patient and practitioner. In a new study in
which patients will receive either a real antidepressant or a placebo,
Leuchter will also randomly assign the patients to either a detached,
businesslike physician, or a warmer, more empathetic one. Leuchter
himself performs both roles for Alan, who slightly prefers the more
brusque doc. No matter what the results, Leuchter's upcoming study
is one of the first to apply the tools of research to study the
art of medicine.
For
more on this topic, see the web feature:
Medicine Men and the Puzzling Placebo
|
