Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Blood Test to Diagnose Major Depression in Adults

        Scientists are now able to diagnose adults with major depression by conducting a blood test. This blood test can also determine whether individuals that are diagnosed with depression will be able to benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy, or whether another approach to dealing with depression is necessary. The results of the therapy will also be detectable through a follow-up blood test, to show if the therapy is actually helping those diagnosed with depression.




    This study was conducted with patients from Northwestern medical clinics. There were thirty-two patients that had already been diagnosed with depression from a clinician and thirty-two participants where were never depressed. Before cognitive-behavioral therapy had begun with depressed patients, all of the patients were given a blood test and when the results were examined, nine RNA markers in the blood of depressed participants were found to be substantially different than those in the blood of non-depressed participants. When new blood work was done for patients with depression, after being in therapy for eighteen weeks, it was discovered that subjects who were in remission from depression had changed RNA markers and those who were still depressed had markers that remained the same. 


    The pattern of the markers were also distinctly different between those who were benefited by the therapy and those were still considered depressed after the therapy. However, there were three markers that did not change at all in those that were depressed and were no longer considered depressed at the end of the study. Eva Redei, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University, who also developed the blood test, argues that, "These three markers move us towards the ultimate goal of identifying predisposition to depression, even in the absence of a current depressive episode"[1]. Redei wants to further her research to determine if it is possible to tell the difference between major depression and bipolar depression using RNA blood markers. 


The Science Daily article can be found at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140917121229.htm 


   
   

2 comments:

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  2. This is very fascinating as a very large population of citizens are affected by depression. But so far, depression was diagnosed by the patients themselves based on self analysis of their own symptoms. The blood test would make the diagnosis of this chronic condition more accurate and then its treatment more successful.

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