HealthJuly 8, 2026
regressor
/rɪˈɡrɛsər/
Definition
In statistical modeling, an independent or predictor variable used to estimate or explain changes in a target outcome.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'regressus,' meaning 'a going back,' the term was adopted into statistics to describe 'regression analysis,' a method developed by Francis Galton to quantify the relationship between variables.
In the news
The article uses this term to describe various biological and clinical data points, such as brain connectivity and depression severity, which the researchers analyzed to predict patient response to antidepressant medications.
A precision medicine trial of bupropion and sertraline for major depressive disorder using a biomarker-guided sequential multiple-assignment design
Read the full article ↗Nature