Conor Liston — Targeted mental health treatments through psychiatry and neuroscience

Conor Liston, Asst Professor at Cornell and head of the Liston Laboratory, discusses how targeted treatments for mental illnesses are possible, why they are necessary, and the future of these treatments.

Currently, mental illnesses are diagnosed through the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. Unfortunately, many diagnoses rely on self-reported symptoms by patients–and because symptoms can be subjective to each patients, ultimately these may not lead to the most accurate diagnoses. Conor Liston, and his team at the Liston Laboratory, believe that by using brain scans, we can not only more accurately diagnose mental illnesses, but ultimately predict which treatments a person will most likely respond to.

Already, their research has uncovered some fascinating discoveries about mental illnesses, in particular depression, and paves the way for new advances in treatment.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed