As the incidence of depression in the elderly continues to rise, the risk of death caused by ideation, plans, and behavior toward suicide among the elderly is likely to be higher than that among other age groups. A study from HKU’s State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences found that brain connection patterns can help predict suicide risk in elderly patients with depression. The findings have been published in Nature Mental Health, a sister journal of Nature. A research team led by Tatia Lee Mei-chun, director of HKU’s State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, used brain imaging data and advanced computer algorithms to predict the severity of suicide risk in patients with depression in later life. The team used a predictive model based on connectomics to predict through whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (brain active connections when not performing any specific cognitive tasks) and white matter structural connectivity (structural connections between brain regions) data to predict suicide risk....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/brain-connectivity-patterns-a-reliable-indication-of-suicide-risk-in-elderly-patients-suffering-from-depression-hku-5510636