Researchers have identified biomarkers present in the blood associated with depression and suicidal thoughts, which could make it possible to identify people at risk earlier, and ultimately to develop new treatments.
- Researchers have identified biomarkers for depression and suicidal thoughts.
- They believe that this discovery could make it possible to identify people at risk of depression and suicide earlier.
- 10 to 20% of people suffering from depression die by suicide according to Inserm.
Globally, an estimated 5% of adults suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a disease which is characterized by a succession of depressive episodes, with symptoms such as pathological sadness, loss of pleasure, vital energy, etc. According to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), between 10 and 20% of people suffering from this disease die by suicide.
Biomarkers of depression and suicidal thoughts
Being able to identify in advance those people most at risk of depression and suicidal thoughts is therefore an important issue. This is what researchers from University of California, San Diego in the United States, worked. Their work was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. Scientists have found that people suffering from depression and suicidal ideation have specific biomarkers, that is, compounds detectable in their blood.
During their work, the scientists analyzed the blood of 99 participants suffering from depression for whom treatments were not effective and who had suicidal thoughts. They compared them to blood tests from 93 healthy patients. Thus, they discovered five biomarkers of depression and suicidal ideation in men and five in women.
Among them, biomarkers of mitochondrial dysfunction were the same in both sexes. Mitochondria are organelles that play a central role in cellular energy metabolism. They produce energy in the form of a molecule called ATP for Adenosine-Tri-Phosphate. According to scientists, it is this function that is most dysregulated in people with suicidal thoughts.
Better screening of people at risk of depression
“When ATP is inside the cell, it acts as an energy source, but outside the cell it is a danger signal that activates dozens of protective pathways in response to a environmental stressor, explains Robert Naviaux. We hypothesize that suicide attempts could in particular come from a broader physiological impulse aimed at putting an end to a stress response that has become unbearable at the cellular level.“For scientists, this discovery could allow the development of more targeted treatments for patients suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts, in particular by acting on mitochondrial dysfunction.
“Many chronic illnesses are associated with depression, because it is very stressful to deal with an illness for yearsindicates Robert Naviaux. If we could find ways to treat depression and suicidal ideation at the metabolic level, we could also help improve outcomes for the many diseases that lead to depression. (…) If metabolomics could be used to identify those most at risk, it could ultimately help us save more lives.”
