The aim of my doctoral research is to improve the efficiency of treatment selection for depression. Currently, the tools available to facilitate decision-making for depression treatment are limited, and a trial-and-error approach is often used to identify the most effective intervention. Previous research shows that early changes in emotionally biased cognition may predict later reductions in depressive symptoms. Therefore, we are using behavioural measures of emotionally biased cognition to examine whether the changes in emotional bias produced by various treatments (e.g., antidepressant medication, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) may predict remission from depression. These measures, if shown to predict treatment effects, may be useful for streamlining decision-making in the initial selection of interventions for depression.
