The future of psychiatry is in brain mapping and personalized medicines

Professor of Radiology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco Monte Buchsbaum, who is considered a pioneer of neuroimaging technologies, said that "I believe that the drug-inspired EEG method will find the right points in the brain and allow us to match patients with appropriate pharmacological therapy." Prof. Derek Fisher, who is from Saint Vincent University in Canada, said that "With brain mapping, we can see what the brain looks like with which drug or how the drug reverses some situations. This is a clue as to which drug or drugs will be more effective to start."

With the Topographic Brain Mapping method called QEEG, the brain electrical activity record taken from the scalp is analyzed and indirect information about the functioning of the brain is provided. On the other hand, electroencephalography (EEG) records the electrical activity in the brain. So, what is the role of all this in psychiatry?

The subject was discussed at the 6th Annual Meeting held at Üsküdar University NP Health Campus. Professor of Radiology and Psychiatry at the University of California, Sicily Monte Buchsbaum, who participated in the program and is considered the pioneer of neuroimaging technologies and whose honorary doctorate robe was worn by President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasized the importance of personalized medicine.

"Personalized medicine will be the most important area of the health sector"

Prof. Buchsbaum stated that schizophrenia can be treated with current technology and new drugs, but it is still not at the desired level, and gave the following information:

"Personalized medicine is the gold standard for mental health. In the future, personalized medicine, which can read the genetic code and match it to treatment will be the most important areas of development in the healthcare industry. The extended human lifespan gives us successful old age years. We can read each person's genetic code and look at the physiology of each genetic message and prescribe the appropriate drugs. We do not want psychiatrists to prescribe only a predictive drug, we want to prescribe a specifically targeted drug. Therefore, scientific measurement techniques such as EEG should be used."

"It is very important to understand the differences between a patient with schizophrenia and depression"

Underlining the importance of using EEG as a scientific measurement technique, Prof. Buchsbaum stated that "People are different from each other. It is very important to determine which patient will be given which drug. There is no room for error in any way in psychiatry. Therefore, scientific measurement techniques such as EEG should be used. It is very important for us to understand the differences between a patient with schizophrenia and depression. I believe that the drug-inspired EEG method will find the right points in the brain and allow us to match patients with appropriate pharmacological therapy."

"EEG results help to choose the right medication"

Prof. Buchsbaum stated that data will first be taken from EEG in the future where individual treatment plans will be created, and thanks to EEG, it will be seen how there is a difference from healthy individuals and where it changes, and said:

"That will tell us a point in the brain. Most likely in the frontal lobe or other possible spots. Then we will look at our library, our pictures. We will look at how EEG gives a different result from other drugs from the pictures and data in our library. Then, we will be able to decide which drug specifically affects which point by looking at the results on the EEG. This will allow us to choose the right drug."

"It is very important to use the EEG technique to its full potential"

Prof. Buchsbaum stated that there is very clear evidence that drugs are good for psychiatric and other neurological diseases in EEG, and that is why it is very important to use the EEG technique to its full potential.

Emphasizing that Üsküdar University is one of the leading universities in global information sharing, Prof. Buchsbaum said that "Science is advancing rapidly thanks to global communication. In the past, it was very difficult to compare these studies across the globe. However, now we can create a pool of knowledge and make it available to the whole world. Through global conferences, we are able to share our research techniques. Üsküdar University's effort in this area is exciting."

Imaging technologies are important for identifying changes in the brain

One of the participants of the conference, Prof. Derek Fisher from Saint Vincent University, Canada, who is known for his work in the field of cognitive and clinical neuroscience, informed on his investigations on how the brain changes in the context of schizophrenia and psychosis.

Stating that there are many things that can be done with new neuroimaging technologies, Prof. Fisher explained that it will be very important to use technologies to classify patient groups in the future and continued his remarks as follows:

"The treatments we are giving now are a kind of prediction study, or methods that worked in the past. But it's not personal. Therefore, it will be to make maximum use of imaging technologies to identify specific changes in the brains of individuals who may respond better or worse to certain treatments. This will shorten the time it takes for individuals with disorders to receive truly effective early treatment."

The importance of creating a personalized treatment plan

Emphasizing that the development of neuroimaging technologies is important to create a personalized treatment plan, Prof. Fisher said:

"We know that there are great studies that QEEG (brain mapping) has shown, for example, some drugs produce certain key EEG patterns. We can see what the brain looks like with which drug, or how the drug reverses some situations. This is a clue as to which drug or drugs will be more effective to start."

Prof. Fisher also pointed out the importance of finding the most effective treatment for patients and bringing them together with this treatment earlier, and said that this would positively affect the quality of life of the patients.

60 international researchers from 12 different countries participated

At the conference held at Üsküdar University NP Health Campus between 3-7 September 2023, 60 international researchers from 12 different countries discussed the latest developments in the fields of neuroscience, genetics and medicine.

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)