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Depression: Overview

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Depression is a prevalent mental illness marked by persistent sadness and lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities. It can take several forms, including major depression, persistent depressive disorder, and bipolar I and II disorders. Symptoms range from emotional changes like chronic worry to physical changes like sleep disturbances and suicidal thoughts. From a neurobiological perspective, depression is believed to be triggered by abnormalities in the brain's prefrontal cortex,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 12, 2025

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Advances and Challenges in Depression Marker Research.

Weifeng Jin¹, Shuzi Chen¹, Dan Li¹

¹Department of Medical Laboratory, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment

|August 6, 2025

Summary

Diagnosing depression is subjective due to no biomarkers. This review explores genetic, immune, and gut biomarkers, suggesting multimodal approaches for personalized depression treatment.

Keywords:

biomarkers depressive disorders

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Last Updated: Sep 12, 2025

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

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Published on: June 6, 2025

Animal Models of Depression - Chronic Despair Model CDM

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A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats

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Published on: February 22, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Genetics

Background:

Current diagnosis of depressive disorders lacks objective biomarkers, relying on subjective clinical assessments.
This limitation hinders accurate diagnosis and the development of personalized treatments for depression.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and synthesize recent advancements in depression biomarkers across multiple domains.
To identify challenges and propose future directions for biomarker discovery and application in managing major depressive disorder (MDD).

Main Methods:

Systematic literature search of PubMed and Web of Science databases.
Analysis of biomarkers in genetic, epigenetic, neuroendocrine, neuroimaging, immune/inflammatory, and gut microbiota domains.
Evaluation of mechanisms, challenges, and future research strategies.

Main Results:

Biomarker research in depression spans diverse fields, including genetics, neuroimaging, and the gut microbiome.
Clinical heterogeneity and inadequate models pose significant challenges to biomarker validation.
Multimodal integration of biomarkers shows greater promise than single-domain approaches.

Conclusions:

Integrating multiple biomarker domains is crucial for overcoming diagnostic heterogeneity in depression.
Future directions include multidimensional bioinformatics, AI-driven models, and RDoC framework implementation.
These integrated strategies may revolutionize MDD management through early detection and personalized therapeutics.