Kiev. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – January 13, 2021 – Health
Researchers at the University of California, in collaboration with Dutch scientists, have found that certain metabolites – small molecules formed during metabolism – can be prognostic markers in people at risk of recurrence of major depressive disorder.
Depressive disorder (simply put, clinical depression) is a mood disorder characterized by a combination of the following symptoms: feelings of sadness or hopelessness, anger or frustration, loss of interest, sleep disturbances, anxiety, slowness or difficulty thinking, suicidal thoughts and unreasonable physical problems. such as back pain or headache.
As part of their study, the researchers recruited 68 subjects (45 women, 23 men) with recurrent depression who were in remission and did not use antidepressants. In addition, a control group of 59 people was established. After blood collection, patients were observed for two and a half years.
The results showed that metabolic signs detected during a normal mental state could indicate which patients were most likely to relapse in the future. The accuracy of this prediction was over 90%. Analysis of the most predictable chemicals revealed that they belong to certain types of lipids (fats, including eicosanoids and sphingolipids) and purines.
According to the authors, their scientific work can be a new tool to identify the most vulnerable to recurrence of symptoms of depression in patients.
