Brain-Gut Signals Can Predict Antidepressant Treatment Response in Just 7–10 Days

News Desk, News Nation 360: Scientists at IIT Kanpur’s Department of Cognitive Science and GSVM Medical College in Kanpur have worked together to make a groundbreaking prediction model that uses non-invasive brain (EEG) and gastric (EGG) electrophysiological signals as well as clinical symptom data to predict antidepressant treatment outcomes within 7-10 days of therapy initiation, significantly shortening the standard 4-6 week trial-and-error waiting period. Led by corresponding author Dr. Pragathi Priyadharsini Balasubramani and first author Amal Jude Ashwin Francis, the study involving 206 participants (including 144 treatment-naive patients with depression) showed 84% model sensitivity and 78% specificity in model evaluation as well as 77.3% overall accuracy in an independent cohort, identifying biological subtypes responsible for different responses to drugs; the translational tools are being translated into real-world clinical application by Neuroclinical Innovative Solutions (NCIS) Private Limited with funding support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

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