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These two areas are known to be neurogenic regions, where neural stem cells give rise to new neurons throughout our lives. Hippocampal neurogenesis is known to be associated with depression and the effect of antidepressive medication, but it is also involved in learning and memory, so scientists are keen to find techniques that can monitor cell proliferation in the region. However, the process of neurogenesis is very hard to monitor non-invasively. It is possible using magnetic resonance imaging, but with MRI the tracers do not move into the brain effectively and must be injected directly into the brain fluid, making is invasive and difficult to perform. Positron emission tomography (PET) is another method that has been used. Previously, attempts have been made to use a molecule called [18F]FLT as a marker for cell proliferation in the brain in PET, but unfortunately the difference in signal strength between regions with and without cell growth was small. "We were not exactly ...

This research is funded through a 2014 Pitt Innovation Challenge Award from Pitt's Clinical and Translational Science Institute. "What's really promising about these new findings is that they indicate that there may be physiological mechanisms underlying depression that we can use to improve the quality of life in patients with this disabling illness," said David Lewis, M.D., Thomas Detre Professor and Chair of Pitt's Department of Psychiatry. Major depressive disorder, also referred to simply as depression, affects nearly 15 million American adults and is one of the most common mental disorders. Unfortunately, at least 15 percent of patients don't find relief from conventional treatments such as antidepressant medications and psychotherapy , explained lead study investigator Lisa Pan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, and clinical and translational science, Pitt School of Medicine. Depression also is the cause of more than two-thirds of suicides that occur...