Research

Research at the MDL generally examines factors that contribute vulnerability to depression, maintain depression, or ameliorate depression. Research tends to focus on cognitive factors; however, recent work has begun to integrate approaches from other disciplines as well (e.g., genetics, imaging, hormones). Integrating ideas and methodology from other domains holds the promise of developing a more comprehensive understanding of the disorder. MDL research has been generously supported by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Department of Defense (DoD), and The University of Texas at Austin.

There are many active research protocols currently underway at the MDL. Examples of current studies include:

Development of Attention Bias Modification for Depression
The overall goal of this project is to continue the development of an attention bias modification (ABM) intervention that targets and reduces negative attention bias among adults with elevated symptoms of depression. Our prior work indicates that attention bias for negative information is associated with the maintenance of depression and that neural circuitry within frontal-parietal brain networks supports biased attention for negative information, thus allowing us to develop specific and targeted interventions that directly alter the neurobiology of negative attention bias.

Perceptual and Decisional Processes Underlying Face Perception Bias in Clinical Depression
In this study, our goal is to examine how the brain processes emotion and facial identification. Prior research suggests that the ability to process important face dimensions (identity) independently from emotion might be impaired in depression. We aim to use state-of-the-art computational and psychophysical approaches to identify the precise locus of the impairments in face emotion processing in depression.