Dr. Nili Solomonov is an associate professor of psychology in psychiatry. Focused on developing neuroscience-based psychotherapies for depression, her lab uses novel computational and imaging techniques to identify specific sites in the brain that contribute to depression; this allows for personalizing therapies with apps and other technologies. Her current work focuses on postpartum depression, mid- and late-life depression, and suicidality.
Dr. Solomonov, what especially interests you about working with middle-aged and older adults?
Much of our science on depression stops at the age of 60. Late-life depression, anxiety and suicidality are deeply understudied. In fact, middle-aged and older women experience unique difficulties that can lead to social isolation and depression. They're very often the ones carrying the greatest burdens of caregiving for their spouse, elderly parents, kids and grandkids. At the same time, they go through significant physical changes like menopause and increased frailty and medical burden and brain aging.
How will your work help older women?
Our evidence suggests that increasing social connectedness actually improves brain functioning and, as a result, reduces depression.
We developed a therapy called “Engage and Connect,” which targets reward systems of the brain through increased social activities. We deliver this therapy flexibly to reach as many women as possible, in-person and via zoom. We also have an app if women want to do the work on their own.
Using innovative neuroimaging techniques, we can look at how each woman’s brain changes during therapy.
Another important population you study is new mothers struggling with postpartum depression.
This is a really vulnerable period for women, and it is widely underdiagnosed.
We have seen very promising results for our Engage and Connect psychotherapy in women with postpartum depression. We are now developing this work to learn more how the brain changes during this period and how we can help women early and quickly.
Many people criticize the amount of screen time and use of social media as major causes of mental health problems and social alienation in this country. Do you agree?
I think we can all easily agree that we use screens, especially our phones, too much and that it’s not good for our mental health. Screens and social media can be highly addictive and very hard to disconnect from, even when we want to be present.
On the flip side, technology can be remarkable and incredible. We are in the midst of an unprecedented, head-spinning advancement with the explosive rise of AI. This technology has great potential to allow us to improve our treatments and help more people. For example, we are employing AI techniques to match patients to treatments, thus improving health outcomes.
Your group has also started to work on improving mental health treatments for children and youth through novel apps and AI. Could you tell me more about that?
Mental health problems are on the rise among children and youth, and many parents struggle with lack of support and knowledge to cope with emerging risk. We created a new program called the “Bright Track” app, which leverages AI and other methods to detect warning signs in real-time and offer feedback and recommendations to both youth and their parents.
What do you enjoy most about working at Weill Cornell Medicine?
Weill Cornell has such an incredible concentration of experts across many different fields – from neuroscience to AI engineering, social work, epidemiology and more.
This has allowed us to push forward our science much faster than we could in a traditional academic environment. Weill Cornell Medicine is also an amazing place for training. I get to work with the brilliant, energetic trainees in my lab, mentoring and helping others reach their potential, collaborating with experts across so many fields – from neuroscience to AI engineering, social work, epidemiology and more.
And Weill Cornell Medicine is unique because we are embedded within clinical spaces and can conduct research that directly reaches patients every day. I am grateful for our patients and their families for trusting us with what is dearest to them and being our partners on this journey.
