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. 2012 Jan;18(1):20-33.
doi: 10.4103/0971-6866.96639.

Genetic biomarkers of depression

Anand Tamatam  1 , Farhath Khanum, Amarinder Singh Bawa
Affiliations

Genetic biomarkers of depression

Anand Tamatam et al. Indian J Hum Genet. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

Depression is a term that has been used to describe a variety of ailments, ranging from minor to incapacitating. Clinically significant depression, termed as major depression, is a serious condition characterized not only by depressed mood but also by a cluster of somatic, cognitive, and motivational symptoms. Significant research efforts are aimed to understand the neurobiological as well as psychiatric disorders, and the evaluation of treatment of these disorders is still based solely on the assessment of symptoms. In order to identify the biological markers for depression, we have focused on gathering information on different factors responsible for depression including stress, genetic variations, neurotransmitters, and cytokines and chemokines previously suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. The present review illustrates the potential of biomarker profiling for psychiatric disorders, when conducted in large collections. The review highlighted the biomarker signatures for depression, warranting further investigation.

Keywords: Cytokines; depression; genetic variability; neurotransmitters; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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