Blood test can identify biomarkers of suicidal thoughts – study
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Scientists have discovered that the blood contains compounds that can signal suicidal thoughts in people with depression.
The connection between cellular metabolism and depression was discovered by scientists at the University of California in San Diego. Their research is published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.
Although the primary symptoms of depression are psychological, depression is a complex illness that physically affects the entire body, scientists say. Therefore, the measurement of markers of cellular metabolism has become an important approach to the study of mental diseases and the development of new methods of their diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
“Mental illnesses such as depression have effects and operate far beyond the brain, says Dr. Robert Navio, professor of medicine, pediatrics and pathology at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. – Even ten years ago, it was difficult to study how the chemistry of the whole body affects our behavior and state of mind, but modern technologies such as metabolomics help us listen to the conversations of cells in their native language, which is biochemistry.”
| Photo: UC San Diego Health Sciences |
Most people with depression find relief with psychotherapy and medication. However, in some people, depression cannot be treated. Suicidal thoughts occur in most patients with treatment-resistant depression. About 30% of them try to commit suicide at least once in their life.
The researchers analyzed the blood of 99 study participants who were diagnosed with intractable depression and suicidal thoughts, and the same number of healthy people. Among the hundreds of different biochemical substances circulating in the blood of people with depression, five biomarkers were found.
“Among 100 people suffering from depression, we can correctly identify 85-90% of those who are at the highest risk of suicidal thoughts”– explains Navio.
Researchers have found that there are gender differences in how depression affects cell metabolism. Metabolites that signal suicidal ideation are mostly different between men and women, but some metabolic markers were the same for both sexes.
These are, in particular, biomarkers for mitochondrial dysfunction, which occurs when the cells’ energy-producing structures don’t work.
“Mitochondria are one of the most important structures in our cells, and changes in mitochondrial function occur in many human diseases,” – added Navio.
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| Photo: AndrewLozovyi/Depositphotos |
Mitochondria produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – the primary energetic organic compound of all cells. ATP is also an important molecule for cell-to-cell communication, and researchers suggest that this function is most dysregulated in people with suicidal thoughts.
“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 defense pathways in response to certain stress.
We hypothesize that suicide attempts may actually be part of a larger physiological impulse to stop a stress response that has become intolerable at the cellular level.” – claims the scientist.
The study offers a new approach to personalizing treatment for depression and may also help scientists design drugs that can target mitochondrial dysfunction.
“The results suggest that we can work to nudge metabolism in the right direction and help patients respond better to treatment. In the context of suicide, this may be enough to keep people from crossing that threshold.” – explains the co-author of the study.
Read also: Why do teenagers commit suicide? How parents can recognize suicidal intentions in a child
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