The aim of this novel collaborative study is to develop biomarkers that can identify young people at increased risk of mood disorder. Cowen’s group has previously used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to show that recovered depressed patients have abnormal levels of the inhibitory transmitter GABA. GABA is proposed to play a critical role in the mechanisms of gamma oscillation, which in turn have been implicated in effective coordination of local neuronal computation and its top-down control by changing task goals and expectation. The study will provide a proof of concept in recovered depressed patients designed to test for deficits in oscillatory  gamma activity and associated perceptual and attentional functions measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG). (Supported the the John Fell Fund)

 Further reading:

 Bhagwagar Z, Cowen PJ. (2008) 'It's not over when it's over': persistent neurobiological abnormalities in recovered depressed patients.  Psychol Med  38(3):307-13.