Multiple Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Precision Treatment of Depression

Dear Colleagues,

As defined by the FDA and NIH, a biomarker is “a defined characteristic that is measured as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes or responses to an exposure or intervention”. Biomarkers have been used and continue to be used widely in almost all branches of medicine, but their use in psychiatry has lagged. This is understandable in view of the complexity and multifaceted presentation and pathologies of psychiatric disorders that make it very difficult to causally associate a distinct characteristic, be it a molecule, a gene, a physiologic process, or a radiographic finding. Frequently, psychiatric disorders coexist either with another primary psychiatric diagnosis or as comorbid diagnoses with medical conditions. Despite these inherent difficulties, the discovery of potential biomarkers linked to a psychiatric condition and/or to a specific symptom within a certain syndrome has shown truly impressive findings over the past few decades and continues to progress at a rapid pace. In this Special Issue, we will not attempt to present the vast array of findings indicative of potential biomarkers for depressive illness, as this would far exceed the limits of a Special Issue. Instead, we will focus on those biomarkers that have been extensively investigated and have been shown to possess validity, sensitivity, and reproducibility both as diagnostic biomarkers but also as monitoring biomarkers indicative of treatment response and overall outcome. Before any biomarker candidate can be approved for general clinical use and coverage by insurance carriers, key criteria and requirements must be met. I believe we have an array of such candidate biomarkers subdivided into the following main categories: molecular, physiologic, radiographic, genomic, and pharmacogenomic biomarkers. Some of these biomarkers can now be obtained during routine assessments, and therefore the immediate goal is to inform practitioners of the importance of including them in routine evaluations. As practitioners gain more experience, it will become easier to obtain formal approvals by licensing agents and insurance coverage.

Prof. Dr. Angelos Halaris
Guest Editor

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• depression
• biomarkers
• inflammation
• autoimmunity
• genomics
• physiology
• radiography