From pharmacogenetics to imaging pharmacogenetics: elucidating mechanisms of antidepressant response

Psychiatric pharmacogenetics research has helped to elucidate biological mechanisms of response to a number of medications. However, compared with other medical areas, such as cancer treatment, clinical applicability of these findings is still limited by a number of shortcomings of currently available data. We discuss the potential advantages of combining imaging and pharmacogenetics approaches to better describe the underlying mechanisms of antidepressant response and how this approach may be applied to future studies. Medication with antidepressants is a cornerstone in treatment of major depression and other major psychiatric disorders. High rates of nonresponse and side effects contribute to an unsatisfactory...