Guest Bloggers
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Louisa Benton
Executive Director
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Steven P. Roose, M.D
Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
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Huda Akil, Ph.D
DTF Chair
What can brain circuitry teach us about severe, treatment-resistant depression?,
October 6, 2026
In a new study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Helen Mayberg and colleagues analyzed data from 131 patients with treatment-resistant depression who received subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation (DBS), a highly specialized approach in which electrodes are implanted in the brain to deliver electrical stimulation.
The researchers found that sustained improvement was associated with stimulation reaching specific connected white-matter pathways. The findings suggest that successful DBS depends not only on where stimulation is delivered, but on which connected brain pathways are reached.
Why it matters: The study adds to evidence that depression involves networks of connected brain regions and shows how a more individualized understanding of brain connectivity could help researchers refine DBS for people with severe, treatment-resistant depression.
Important context: DBS is a highly specialized, investigational approach for severe treatment-resistant depression. This study helps explain which brain pathways appear important to sustained improvement.
Helen S. Mayberg, M.D., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is a member of HDRF’s Depression Task Force.
Source: Connectomic Determinants of Subcallosal Cingulate Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression, American Journal of Psychiatry.
Why are some individuals more vulnerable to stress while others remain resilient?,
October 6, 2026
In a new study published in Translational Psychiatry, Dr. Huda Akil and colleagues studied mice during their first exposure to social stress and followed how they responded to repeated stress over time. Using technology that permanently labeled neurons active during that first encounter, the researchers mapped activity across 66 brain regions.
They found distinct patterns of brain activity during the first stressful encounter that were associated with whether the mice later showed more susceptible or resilient behavior. Higher initial activity in one region of the hypothalamus was also associated with more resilient social behavior after repeated stress.
Why it matters: The study suggests that vulnerability and resilience may begin to diverge at the level of brain activity from the first exposure to significant stress. Understanding those early differences could help researchers investigate the biological processes that make some individuals more vulnerable and others more resilient.
Important context: This is an animal study. The findings should not be interpreted as a predictive test for depression in people; they provide a foundation for further research into the biology of stress, vulnerability and resilience.
Huda Akil, Ph.D., University of Michigan, is a member of HDRF’s Depression Task Force.
Source: Distinct patterns of neural activity during initial defeat encounter are predictive of future susceptibility or resilience to chronic defeat, Translational Psychiatry.