Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014;8(1):51-7.
doi: 10.2217/bmm.13.134.

Biomarkers in psychosis: an approach to early identification and individualized treatment

Heline Mirzakhanian  1 , Fiza Singh, Kristin S Cadenhead
Affiliations
Review

Biomarkers in psychosis: an approach to early identification and individualized treatment

Heline Mirzakhanian et al. Biomark Med. 2014.

Abstract

Numerous biomarkers for somatic disorders are used in routine medical practice. Yet, despite remarkable advances in mental health research, we are not able to identify biomarkers with established clinical utility for mental disorders such as schizophrenia. While identification and characterization of biomarkers are crucial first steps in this process, their predictive diagnostic and treatment utility need to be better developed for clinical practice. The heterogeneity of psychotic disorders etiologically, pathologically and symptomatically presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the use of biomarkers in clinical practice. Simply said, a single biomarker might not exist that necessitates the search for a biomarker profile. In this review we discuss research findings in light of such an approach. We summarize some examples of emerging biomarkers in early psychosis research and delineate how these can be applied to a clinical setting to inform treatment on an individual basis fostering a personalized treatment approach.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Model of biomarkers in the prodrome predicting conversion to psychosis.
HPA: Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal; MMN: Mismatch negativity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Correll CU, Hauser M, Auther AM, Cornblatt BA. Research in people with psychosis risk syndrome: a review of the current evidence and future directions. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 51(4), 390–431 (2010).

      ■■ Comprehensive discussion of the psychosis prodrome, review of the literature and future directions.

    1. Yung AR, McGorry PD, McFarlane CA, Jackson HJ, Patton GC, Rakkar A. Monitoring and care of young people at incipient risk of psychosis. Schizophr. Bull 22(2), 283–303 (1996). - PubMed
    1. Yung AR, Phillips LJ, Yuen HP, McGorry PD. Risk factors for psychosis in an ultra high-risk group: psychopathology and clinical features. Schizophr. Res 67(3), 131–142 (2004). - PubMed
    1. Pillai A, Buckley PF. Reliable biomarkers and predictors of schizophrenia and its treatment. Psychiatr. Clin. North Am 35(3), 645–659 (2012). - PubMed
    1. Light GA, Swerdlow NR, Rissling AJ et al. Characterization of neurophysiologic and neurocognitive biomarkers for use in genomic and clinical outcome studies of schizophrenia. PLoS ONE 7(7), e39434 (2012). - PMC - PubMed