New Landmark Study Reveals Brain Blood Flow as Key Biomarker in Depression--Amen Clinics Plays Pivotal Role

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Apr 07, 2025, 14:16 ET

COSTA MESA, Calif., April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A major international study, published this week in JAMA Psychiatry, has identified a powerful new brain-based biomarker for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), marking a potential turning point in how depression is diagnosed and treated. The study, which included critical contributions from Amen Clinics, used regional cerebral blood flow (RCBF) data—measured by brain SPECT imaging—to validate a reproducible, regionally specific pattern of hypoperfusion (low blood flow) in the brains of individuals suffering from depression.

In this case-control study including a total of 15 501
participants from 4 datasets, the ReHo/regional cerebral blood flow (RCBF) deficits in individuals with MDD had effect sizes that were 2 to 3 times stronger than those with deficits in regional cortical thickness. The effect sizes for functional regional
vulnerability index (RVI) were larger than the effect sizes for any individual regions measured in independent datasets, and the RVI-MDD calculated for ReHo and RCBF data showed similar. — In this case-control study including a total of 15 501 participants from 4 datasets, the ReHo/regional cerebral blood flow (RCBF) deficits in individuals with MDD had effect sizes that were 2 to 3 times stronger than those with deficits in regional cortical thickness. The effect sizes for functional regional vulnerability index (RVI) were larger than the effect sizes for any individual regions measured in independent datasets, and the RVI-MDD calculated for ReHo and RCBF data showed similar.

This landmark research demonstrates that functional brain changes—specifically decreased blood flow—are more accurate markers of depression than structural brain changes like cortical thinning, which have historically shown weak and inconsistent associations. Amen Clinics provided one of the largest and most clinically detailed datasets for the study, drawn from patients actively seeking help for depression.

"This is the strongest evidence to date that depression is not just a chemical imbalance—it's a brain imbalance you can see and measure," said Dr. Daniel Amen, founder of Amen Clinics and a co-author of the study. "We've been saying for decades that healthy blood flow is foundational to mental health. Now the science has caught up."

The study examined more than 15,000 participants across four major databases, including the UK Biobank, ENIGMA Consortium, Amish Connectome Project, and Amen Clinics Inc. Notably, the blood flow patterns from Amen Clinics' SPECT scans aligned strongly with novel MRI-based measures of brain function (ReHo), confirming that decreased activity in the cingulate, prefrontal, and temporal lobes is a hallmark of depression.

Even more importantly, the study found that these blood flow deficits were strongly correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms, opening the door for precision diagnostics and individualized treatment plans based on imaging biomarkers.

"This validates what we've seen in over 260,000 scans: depression often involves poor brain perfusion, and when we improve blood flow, people feel and function better," said Dr. Amen.

Amen Clinics' innovative use of SPECT brain imaging continues to pioneer a brain-based approach to brain and mental health care—emphasizing objective diagnostics, personalized treatment, and a deeper understanding of the biological roots of psychiatric disorders.

Media Contact: Natalie Buchoz
[email protected]

SOURCE Amen Clinics, Inc.