The Necessity for Biomarker-Based Personalized Medicine in Major Depression Disorder: A Comprehensive Literature Review Publisher



Gilanchi S¹ ; Tavirani MR¹ ; Daskareh M² Show Affiliations
Source: Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Published:2024

Abstract

Introduction: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental disorder characterized by alterations in mood, cognition, neurovegetative functions, and psychomotor activity. Millions of people worldwide suffer from this disease. There is no diagnosis based on laboratory tests for major depression. Even though there are varieties of treatments for MDD, antidepressants (ADs) are often used to treat the patients. There is a wide range of different responses to AD drugs. Treatment-resistant depression is a significant challenge in the treatment of this disease. This research aims to review our current knowledge of MDD and show the shortcomings in diagnosing and treating this disease. These gaps display the need for molecular studies to find new biomarkers related to this disease. Methods: This review uses two search strategies: A literature search using keywords (major depressive disorder or MDD) and articles on each study topic. Animal experiments, pediatric MDD, and postpartum depression are excluded. For parts requiring more study, specific keywords were used. Results: Biological approaches can help with a better understanding of the MDD pathogenesis mechanism, which is needed for diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of treatment response. Conclusion: Although various treatments and diagnostic procedures exist for MDD, they are insufficient, and more investigations and research are needed. Finding a specific and sensitive panel of biomarkers is more helpful for accelerating the clinical development of new diagnoses and therapeutics for MDD. © 2024 The Author(s).