Researchers compared the traditional Chinese medicine pill Yueju with the standard antidepressant escitalopram in patients with major depressive disorder.[2][5] The study was randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled with 28 outpatients.[2] Both groups showed improvement in depression as measured by the HAMD-24 scale.[2] Only the Yueju Pill group showed a significant increase in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein associated with brain health and mood regulation.[2][5] Brain imaging revealed that certain network patterns in structural brain networks predicted changes in depression in both groups.[2] Specific patterns based on sulcus depth and cortical thickness were predictive only for the Yueju Pill group, particularly the brain's visual network, which predicts changes in depression and BDNF levels.[2] These findings suggest the possibility of predicting response to Yueju Pill treatment using brain scans for personalized therapy.[2]