Northeastern researchers discover biomarkers to predict mental illness

Northeastern researchers discover biomarkers to predict mental illness

By Lily Weber, Biology and English, 2023

Imagine a world in which mental illness can be identified at an early age; where appropriate treatment can be initiated sooner, thus giving a better chance of recovery to those afflicted. This may one day become a reality, thanks to the efforts of researchers from Northeastern’s Department of Psychology, among others.

Researcher’s from various collaborating institutions have conducted a study that has yielded a promising lead to groundbreaking results. Conducted by Whitfield-Gabrieli et al. in 2019, data was analyzed from a longitudinal brain development study which followed children from age seven to eleven. It found that functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, can help to identify children who are at risk for certain psychiatric disorders, and thus pinpoint who may be in need of preventative treatments. Certain resting-state connectivity patterns in the brain were able to predict later alterations in psychiatric symptoms. More specifically, weaker connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex (regions involved with switching attention and decision making) predicted attentional symptoms, whereas weaker connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (a region responsible for empathy and emotion) predicted more internalized symptoms such as anxiety and depression. The authors concluded that such metrics obtained from resting state MRIs are promising biomarkers for both major depressive disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, can help to identify children who are at risk for certain psychiatric disorders, and thus pinpoint who may be in need of preventative treatments.

With rising rates of mental illness and a lack of available mental health professionals to compensate, mental health is rapidly becoming a crisis in America. In fact, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, nearly one in five people in America have a mental health condition. However, according to the National Council for Behavioral Health, by 2025, supply for psychiatrists will fall short of the public’s demand. Due to this burgeoning crisis, it is becoming all the more urgent that we develop novel methods of treatment for mental health. The model described in this study, in which people could be screened early on for mental illness biomarkers and then treated appropriately, has the potential to greatly improve the state of mental healthcare in the United States.

JAMA Psychiatry (2019). DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.4208

PNAS (2014). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1317695111