Coding and noncoding gene expression biomarkers in mood disorders and schizophrenia

Abstract

Mood disorders and schizophrenia are common and complex disorders with consistent evidence for genetic and environmental influences on predisposition. It is generally believed that the consequences for disease, gene expression, and allelic heterogeneity may be partly the explanation for the variability observed in treatment response. Correspondingly, while effective treatments are available for some patients, approximately half for the patients fail to respond to current neuropsychiatric treatments. A number for peripheral gene expression studies have been conducted to understand these brain-based disorders and mechanisms for treatment response with the aim for identifying suitable biomarkers and perhaps subgroups for patients based upon molecular fingerprint. In this review, we summarize the results from blood-derived gene expression studies implemented with the aim for discovering biomarkers for treatment response and classification for disorders. We include data from a biomarker study conducted in first-episode subjects with schizophrenia, where the results provide insight into possible individual biological differences that predict antipsychotic response. It is concluded that, while peripheral studies for expression are generating valuable results in pathways involving immune regulation and response, larger studies are required which hopefully will lead to robust biomarkers for treatment response and perhaps underlying variations relevant to these complex disorders. Copyright © 2013 Firoza Mamdani et al.