Baller Lab

Depression as a disease of white matter network disruption: Learning from Multiple Sclerosis ft. @ballerlab.bsky.social, E. Cooper, @ted-satterthwaite.bsky.social (Psych), M. Schindler, A. Bar-Or (Neurology) & R. Shinohara (@dbei-upenn.bsky.social) www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S000...

Very grateful for our team, including @elenaccooper.bsky.social, @ted-satterthwaite.bsky.social @foxmdphd.bsky.social, Matt Schindler, Amit Bar-Or, and Taki Shinohara!

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.

In our review, we highlight recent work applying lesion network mapping in MS, revealing associations between depression and MS lesions location and burden.

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.

Depression as a disease of white matter network disruption: Learning from Multiple Sclerosis Depression 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...

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.

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.

In this paper, I propose an “EMR phenotyping” framework that carefully combines patients’ conditions with rigorous validation steps.

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 Diagnosis codes are often incomplete, outdated, or entered mainly for billing, which creates challenges for scientific use.

From Billing Codes to Breakthroughs: Filtering Signal From Noise in Electronic Medical Records–Based Research | The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences PsychiatryOnline.org is the platform for all American Psychiatric Association Publishing journals, DSM, and bestselling textbooks, as well as APA Practice Guidelines, and continuing medical education.

I’m excited to share my new paper “From Billing Codes to Breakthroughs: Filtering Signal From Noise in Electronic Medical Records–Based Research” out in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences now: doi.org/10.1176/appi...!

Kosha Ruparel, Bailey C. Spangler, Scott Troyan, Rusell T. Shinohara, @ted-satterthwaite.bsky.social, and Erica B. Baller.

Huge thanks to the wonderful team that helped this project come together!! @elenaccooper.bsky.social, Matthew K. Schindler, Amit Bar-Or, Rachel B. Brandstadter, Monica E. Calkins, Ruben C. Gur, Dina A. Jacobs, Clyde E. Markowitz, Tyler M. Moore, Laura R. Naydovich, Christopher M. Perrone...

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.

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.

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.

The Baller Lab is thrilled to announce that @elenaccooper.bsky.social just had her first first-author publication! “Investigating mood and cognition in people with multiple sclerosis: a prospective cross-sectional study protocol” is now published on BMJ Open: bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/5/e094733! 🧠

You can read our full Comment at the link above or here for a pre-proof version: singlesp.github.io/papers/natmh...

s/o to the amazing sypres team: Brooke Sevchik, @vandyatvandy.bsky.social, Eric Strain, Sandeep Nayak, Bob Dworkin, @jcobbscott.bsky.social, & @ted-satterthwaite.bsky.social

Amazing, Zach!!!

Super cool work by @zachrosenthal.bsky.social showing slow depolarizing waves following some ECT sessions. Huge potential to further understand ECT and improve treatment! #ACNP2024

I'm Erica Baller, PI of the Baller Lab, and I am looking forward to #ACNP2024! Excited to present our recent work linking anxiety to uncinate lesion burden in MS (12/11 Poster Session, #22)!!

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...