In response to rising suicide rates among children and teens, a group of international researchers called the ENIGMA Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours (ENIGMA-STB) consortium, has conducted a study to examine associations between brain structure and suicide attempt in young people with major depressive disorder. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, found subtle alterations in the size of the brain’s prefrontal region in young people with mood disorders and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The researchers, including Neda Jahanshad, PhD, of the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, hope to leverage this information to help predict the likelihood of a future suicidal attempt.

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