Psychology: screening for and treating depression with a blood test
published: 20/04/21, 15:22
An important step forward in diagnosing depression, the disease of the century!
A blood test to better diagnose and treat depression
Researchers at the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine have developed a new blood test to objectively assess mood disorders. This could make it possible to limit diagnostic errors and develop more targeted and therefore more effective treatments.
(...)
A blood test for more targeted treatment
Blood tests are sometimes used alongside clinical evaluations, especially to check that symptoms of depression are not due to other factors. But they are never used to diagnose the disease itself.
However, in their study, the researchers identified 26 blood biomarkers linked in a variable way to the incidence of mood disorders, in particular depression, bipolar disorder and manic disorder. A discovery that paves the way for a more reliable diagnostic method according to psychiatrist and neuroscientist Alexander B. Niculescu, who led the study: “Blood biomarkers are emerging as important tools in disorders where self- subjective assessment of an individual or the clinical impression of a healthcare professional are not always reliable, ”he says.
(...)
The results suggest, for example, that pindolol, ciprofibrate, pioglitazone and adiphenin, as well as two natural compounds, asiaticoside and chlorogenic acid, could be effective antidepressants - the last three had already been identified. in the team's previous research on suicide risk.
Finally, among the main biomarkers linked to mood disorders, the researchers identified eight that are involved in the functioning of the circadian cycle, which could potentially provide a molecular-level explanation for the links between conditions such as depression. and sleep disorders observed in parallel. "This explains why some cases worsen with the seasonal changes and alterations in sleep that accompany mood disturbances," says Niculescu.
For the specialist, it is essential to "modernize" psychiatry to improve the quality of life of patients, and even save lives. "The existing methods that physicians have evaluated for diagnosing depression and other mood disorders are insufficient, they lag behind the types of objective testing systems that are common in other medical specialties," he said. 'team. The blood test they have developed is only at the proof of concept stage, but the researchers hope their results will convince the psychiatric community that precision medicine has a place in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. depression.
Source suite: https://trustmyscience.com/test-sanguin ... epression/
ps: would there be candidates here?
A blood test to better diagnose and treat depression
Researchers at the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine have developed a new blood test to objectively assess mood disorders. This could make it possible to limit diagnostic errors and develop more targeted and therefore more effective treatments.
(...)
A blood test for more targeted treatment
Blood tests are sometimes used alongside clinical evaluations, especially to check that symptoms of depression are not due to other factors. But they are never used to diagnose the disease itself.
However, in their study, the researchers identified 26 blood biomarkers linked in a variable way to the incidence of mood disorders, in particular depression, bipolar disorder and manic disorder. A discovery that paves the way for a more reliable diagnostic method according to psychiatrist and neuroscientist Alexander B. Niculescu, who led the study: “Blood biomarkers are emerging as important tools in disorders where self- subjective assessment of an individual or the clinical impression of a healthcare professional are not always reliable, ”he says.
(...)
The results suggest, for example, that pindolol, ciprofibrate, pioglitazone and adiphenin, as well as two natural compounds, asiaticoside and chlorogenic acid, could be effective antidepressants - the last three had already been identified. in the team's previous research on suicide risk.
Finally, among the main biomarkers linked to mood disorders, the researchers identified eight that are involved in the functioning of the circadian cycle, which could potentially provide a molecular-level explanation for the links between conditions such as depression. and sleep disorders observed in parallel. "This explains why some cases worsen with the seasonal changes and alterations in sleep that accompany mood disturbances," says Niculescu.
For the specialist, it is essential to "modernize" psychiatry to improve the quality of life of patients, and even save lives. "The existing methods that physicians have evaluated for diagnosing depression and other mood disorders are insufficient, they lag behind the types of objective testing systems that are common in other medical specialties," he said. 'team. The blood test they have developed is only at the proof of concept stage, but the researchers hope their results will convince the psychiatric community that precision medicine has a place in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. depression.
Source suite: https://trustmyscience.com/test-sanguin ... epression/
ps: would there be candidates here?