Baller Lab

Baller Lab

@ballerlab.bsky.social

Translational Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Lab | University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine | Clinical Neuroimaging + Medical Informatics. https://ericaballer.wixsite.com/baller-lab

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Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

Excited to share that our new review, "Depression as a disease of white matter network disruption: Learning from Multiple Sclerosis," is out now in Biological Psychiatry! We propose MS as a powerful model for studying how white matter network changes contribute to depression.

biologicalpsychiatryjournal.comDepression as a disease of white matter network disruption: Learning from Multiple SclerosisDepression is a common and debilitating psychiatric disorder that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. For nearly 40 years, scientists have attempted to localize depression in the b...
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Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

We argue that prospective, longitudinal MS studies that follow evolution and resolution of white matter lesions together with the emergence and resolution of depression may provide important insights into depression in MS and network mechanisms of depression more broadly.

Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

Excited to share that our new review, "Depression as a disease of white matter network disruption: Learning from Multiple Sclerosis," is out now in Biological Psychiatry! We propose MS as a powerful model for studying how white matter network changes contribute to depression.

biologicalpsychiatryjournal.comDepression as a disease of white matter network disruption: Learning from Multiple SclerosisDepression is a common and debilitating psychiatric disorder that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. For nearly 40 years, scientists have attempted to localize depression in the b...
Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

Despite decades of research, no single brain region has been shown to cause depression when lesioned. Recent work using coordinate and lesion network mapping instead identified a distributed functional network relevant to depression.

Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

This method would allow researchers to navigate the limitations of EMRs while taking full advantage of their scalability and inclusivity, ultimately producing more trustworthy research outcomes.

Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

Electronic medical records (EMRs) offer a scalable, inclusive, and cost-effective tool for research, but they were not built for this purpose. Diagnosis codes are often incomplete, outdated, or entered mainly for billing, which creates challenges for scientific use.

Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

We’re collecting clinical, cognitive, and neuroimaging data from 250 people with MS. Using 3T MRI, we plan to evaluate white matter disease burden and its relationship to depressive symptoms.

Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

This study will also explore the contribution of anxiety, fatigue, and physical functioning to depression in MS. By combining cognitive, mood, and neuroimaging data, the Baller Lab is working to uncover network-level mechanisms that drive depression, and other psychopathology, in MS.

Baller Lab
@ballerlab.bsky.social

We’re using multiple sclerosis (MS) as a model to explore how disruption in brain networks may contribute to depression. Up to 50% of individuals with MS experience depression or depressive-like symptoms, yet the neurobiological underpinnings remain unclear.

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