terça-feira, 2 de setembro de 2014

78. Brain Imaging Improves Treatment for Depression

Clinical depression is a serious medical condition. The word “clinical” is added to1 separate people who are depressed from those who simply feel sad2 because of3 life events.

People with clinical depression can feel very sad, hopeless4, and unimportant5. Often6 they are unable to live7 in a normal way8. Some people who suffer from9 depression kill themselves10.
Clinical depression can be11 a difficult disease12 for medical professionals to diagnose, or identify13. And it is difficult to treat14 -- what may work15 for one patient suffering from depression may not work16 for another.  

Some experts estimate that medicine used to treat depression is effective17 in treating 80 to 90 percent of patients. But other studies suggest medication is not much better at18 reducing levels19 of clinical depression than a placebo.
A placebo is an inactive substance given to patients20 who do not know it is not medicine21.

Helen Mayberg is a researcher22 at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She says the first treatment23 for depression often fails24.

“The problem is that whatever you get25, the published numbers, even in26 randomized27 studies, is getting people well28 -- the remission rate29 is about30 40 percent, which means31, for most people, the first thing you are given is not likely32 to work.”

That means doctors must try33 different methods of treatments until they find34 one that is effective.

But technology may change that. Ms. Mayberg leads a team35 of researchers at Emory University. They used brain imaging technology36 called P.E.T., or positron emission tomography to study treatment effects. The study involved 63 depressed patients.

P.E.T. uses a radioactive sugar molecule that follows37 brain activity. This sugar molecule “lights up38” areas of the brain that become affected by39 stimuli40. Two kinds of stimuli were used in the study -- medication or talk therapy.

The researchers found that one area of the brain -- called the anterior insula -- seemed to predict41 which treatment would work.

Patients with a slow-working42 anterior insula did best with cognitive talk therapy. Patients with a very busy anterior insula reacted well to medication -- a drug43 called Lexapro.

Ms. Mayberg says the anterior insula is part of a system in the brain that watches over44 the inner45 state of the body. The anterior insula is activated during46 times of47 extreme pain48 or suffering49.

Ms. Mayberg says the insula may be a biological marker for depression. She says her team’s findings50 could help doctors treat psychiatric disorders in the same way51 they treat other medical conditions.

“…where we do tests of various sorts52 to make management decisions53 all the time54. Whereas55 in breast cancer56, we do tumor markers in order to57 determine both that a treatment is likely58 to help you but also determine without59 a marker that certain treatments are not for you.”
And that’s the Health Report from VOA Learning English.

Vocabulary

  1. added to = acrescentado a
  2. those who simply feel sad = aqueles que simplesmente sentem-se tristes
  3. because of = por causa de
  4. hopeless = sem esperança
  5. unimportant = insignificante
  6. Often = frequentemente
  7. unable to live = incapaz de viver
  8. way = forma
  9. suffer from = sofrem de
  10. kill themselves = se matam
  11. can be = pode ser
  12. disease = doença
  13. identify = identificar
  14. treat = tratar
  15. what may work = o que pode funcionar
  16. may not work = pode não funcionar
  17. effective = eficiente
  18. is not much better at = não é muito melhor em
  19. levels = níveis
  20. given to patients = dado a pacientes
  21. medicine = medicamentos
  22. researcher = pesquisador(a)
  23. treatment = tratamento
  24. fails = falha
  25. whatever you get = o que quer que voce consiga
  26. even in = até mesmo em
  27. randomized = feito de forma aleatoria
  28. getting people well = fazer as pessoas ficarem bem
  29. remission rate = indice de remissão (diminuição)
  30. about = aproximadamente
  31. which means = o que significa
  32. likely = provável
  33. must try = devem tentar
  34. until they find = até que eles encontrem
  35. leads a team = lidera uma equipe
  36. brain imaging technology = tecnologia de imagem cerebral
  37. follows = acompanha
  38. lights up = acende, ilumina
  39. become affected by = tornam-se afetadas por
  40. stimuli = estimulos
  41. seemed to predict = parecia prever
  42. slow-working = de funcionamento lento
  43. drug = remédio
  44. watches over = vigia
  45. inner = interno
  46. during = durante
  47. times of = épocas de
  48. extreme pain = dor extrema
  49. suffering = sofrimento
  50. findings = descobertas
  51. in the same way = da mesma forma
  52. various sorts = varios tipos
  53. management decisions = decisões administrativas
  54. all the time = o tempo todo
  55. Whereas = enquanto que
  56. breast cancer = cancer de mama
  57. in order to = a fim de
  58. likely = provável
  59. without = sem