Women with MS or depression have changes in brain anatomy

There was a new technique invented by Nancy Sicotte, MD, multiple sclerosis expert, in collaboration with a team of researchers from Cedars-Sinai, which identified the mood-regulating structure of the brain in women with MS but who also suffer from a certain type of depression. The results of this research are published in Human Brain Mapping. “Patients with medical disorders – and especially those with inflammatory diseases such as MS – often suffer from depression, which can cause fatigue. But not all fatigue is caused by depression. We believe that while fatigue and depression often co-occur in patients with MS, they may be brought about by different biological mechanisms. Our studies are designed to help us better understand how MS-related depression differs from other types, improve diagnostic imaging systems to make them more widely available and efficient, and create better, more individualized treatments for our patients,” said Sicotte, director of Cedars-Sinai's Multiple Sclerosis Program and the Neurology Residency Program.