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Biological Markers in Anxiety Disorders.
Kacper Łoś1, Napoleon Waszkiewicz1
1Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Bialystok, Plac Brodowicza 1, 16-070 Choroszcz, Poland.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Researchers are exploring biological markers in saliva, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid to aid anxiety disorder diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Challenges include understanding anxiety
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Anxiety disorders represent a significant public health concern with substantial medical and socio-economic impacts.
- Current diagnostic methods for anxiety disorders lack precision, leading to underdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
- There is a growing need for objective laboratory tests to support clinical anxiety disorder diagnosis and treatment evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize current literature on potential biological markers for anxiety disorders.
- To identify promising biomarkers across various biological samples including saliva, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and through neuroimaging.
- To discuss the challenges and future directions in the development of diagnostic and prognostic tools for anxiety disorders.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of scientific publications on anxiety disorder biomarkers.
- Analysis of studies investigating biomarkers in saliva (cortisol, lysozyme, α-amylase), blood (serotonin, BDNF, cortisol, microRNA), cerebrospinal fluid (oxytocin, 5-HIAA), and neuroimaging (amygdala, hippocampus).
Main Results:
- Saliva markers like cortisol, lysozyme, and α-amylase (sAA) show promise.
- Blood-based markers include serotonin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cortisol, and microRNA.
- Neuroimaging reveals structural changes in the amygdala and hippocampus; CSF analysis suggests oxytocin and 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) as potential markers.
Conclusions:
- While promising biomarkers exist, research is limited by incomplete understanding of anxiety disorder etiopathogenesis, heterogeneity, comorbidities, and marker specificity.
- Development of biomarker panels and novel assessment approaches holds potential for overcoming current research obstacles.
- Objective biomarkers could significantly improve early diagnosis, treatment selection, and monitoring of anxiety disorders.
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