Can Molecular Biology Propose Reliable Biomarkers for Diagnosing Major Depression?

Abstract

Background: Modern medicine has gained considerable knowledge of the pathophysiology of mental disorders at the body, systemic, organ and neurochemical levels of the biological organization of the body. Modern clinical diagnostic of depression has some problem. That is why psychiatric Society to make diagnostics and taxonomy of different types of depression by implemention modern molecular biomarkers in diagnostic procedures. But up to now there were no reliable biomarkers of major depressive disorder (MDD) and other types of depression. Objective: The purpose of this review is to find fundamentals in pathological mechanisms of depression, which could be a basis for development molecular and genetic biomarkers the most feasible for clinic. Method: This review summarizes the published data using PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar and Scopus. Results: In this review, we summarized and discussed findings in molecular biology, genetics, neuroplasticity, neurotransmitters, neuroimaging that could increase our understanding of biological foundations of depression and show new directions for development reliable biomarkers. We didn’t find no molecular and genetic biomarkers approved for clinic. But Genome-Wide Association Study method promises some progress in development biomarkers based on SNP in the future. Epigenetic factors also are a promising target for biomarkers. We have found some differences in etiology of different type of atypical and melancholic depression. This knowledge could be the basis for development biomarkers for clinical practice in diagnosis, prognosis and selection of treatment. Conclusion: Depression is not monoetiological disease. Many pathological mechanisms involved in depression, thus up to now there is no approved and reliable biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis and correction of treatment of depression. Structural and functional complexity of the brain, the lack of invasive technology, poor correlations between genetic and clinical manifestation of depression, imperfect psychiatric classification and taxonomy of subtypes of disease are the main causes of this situation . One of the possible way to come over this situation can be to pay attention to the trigger mechanism of disease and its subtypes. Researchers and clinicians should focus their efforts on searching trigger mechanism of depression and different types of it . HPA axis can be a candidate for such trigger in depression caused by stress, because it influences to the main branches of disease: neuroinflammation, activity of biogenic amines, oxidative and nitrozative stress, epigenetic factors, metabolomics etc. But before we shall find any trigger mechanism, we need to create complex biomarker reflecting genetic, epigenetic, metabolomics and other pathological changes in different types of depression. Recently the most encouraging results have been obtained from genetics and neuroimaging. Continuing research in these areas should be forced by using computational , statistical and systems biology approaches, which can allow to get more knowledge about neurobiology of depression. In order to obtain clinically useful tests search for biomarkers should use appropriate research methodologies with increasing samples and identifying more homogeneous groups of depressed patients.

Are There Biological Correlates of Response to Yoga-Based Interventions in Depression? A Critical Scoping Review

“…A brief description of these subtypes is provided in Table 1. There is as yet no biomarker that can reliably diagnose depression [43]. However, several potential biomarkers have been evaluated for their utility in assessing disease activity, treatment response, and illness course in depression [50,51].…”

“…There is an unanswered, sixth question that remains to be addressed: What are the molecular and cellular processes associated with the response to yoga in depression? Depression is a complex syndrome associated with alterations in central nervous, autonomic, neuroendocrine, immune-inflammatory, and gut–brain axis functioning [ 42 , 43 ]. Distinct yoga techniques can potentially exert beneficial effects on pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of depression.…”

Biomarkers of Response to Adjunctive Yoga-Based Interventions in Depression: A Scoping Review

“…Despite these advances, there is an unanswered, sixth question that remains to be addressed in this field: what are the molecular and cellular processes associated with response to yoga in depression? Depression is a complex syndrome associated with alterations in central nervous, autonomic, neuroendocrine, immune-inflammatory, and gut-brain axis functioning [35]. The disciplines that constitute yoga can be broadly divided into four components: physical movements (asana), relaxation (savasana), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditative techniques (dhyana) [36].…”

EEG-based major depressive disorder recognition by neural oscillation and asymmetry

“…Traditional diagnostic practices for MDD, while valuable, rely on subjective assessments that may not adequately reflect the biological foundations of the disorder ( Dean and Keshavan, 2017 ). This highlights the pressing need for objective biomarkers that can enhance diagnostic precision and inform personalized treatment strategies ( Ivanets et al, 2021 ; Carrle et al, 2023 ).…”