Speaking of Psychology Precision mental health and personalized treatment, with Leanne Williams, PhD, and Zachary Cohen, PhD
Jan 14, 2026
Leanne Williams, a Professor focusing on precision mental health, and Zachary Cohen, director of the Personalized Treatment Lab, explore how neuroimaging and big data are reshaping mental health care. They discuss identifying brain circuit biotypes of depression and anxiety, highlighting six subtypes that can predict treatment response. The duo also dives into the role of digital phenotypes from wearables in monitoring mental health and the challenges of implementing these innovative methods in clinical settings.
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Target Root Causes Not Just Symptoms
- Precision mental health targets the root causes of symptoms, not just symptom labels.
- Leanne Williams emphasizes using objective tests like brain imaging to guide specific treatments.
Brain Networks Reveal Individual Biotypes
- Advances in fMRI and mapping functional brain networks enable viewing circuit-level disruptions in real time.
- Williams uses those measurements to define individualized 'biotypes' that explain different depression presentations.
Bigger, Harmonized Data Unlocks Predictions
- Aggregating large datasets from trials and smartphones makes predictive models possible.
- Zachary Cohen highlights that scale and harmonized measurement solved prior data limitations.