Adolescents with depression have higher levels of certain molecules in their blood than those without the condition. The finding could help identify teenagers who are more susceptible to depression, and lead to earlier interventions for them.
Depression is the most common mental illness worldwide, and adolescents are especially vulnerable to developing it. For instance, an estimated 1 in 5 teenagers in the US met the criteria for major depressive disorder in 2021. Yet diagnosing and treating the condition is difficult due to a lack of objective measures for it.
at McGill University in Canada and her colleagues analysed blood samples from 62 teenagers between 13 and 18 years old in the US, 34 of whom had been diagnosed with depression. Neither group had other underlying health conditions. The team measured the amount of various microRNA molecules in the participants鈥� blood, which help regulate gene activity.
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After accounting for variables such as age, sex and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that participants with depression had significantly higher levels of nine microRNAs in their blood compared with those that didn鈥檛 have the condition. These specific microRNA molecules are unique to adolescence and are known to play a role in brain development and cognitive processes, says Flores. She presented this data on 13 November at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington DC.
Flores and her colleagues also found that elevated levels of these markers were associated with more severe depressive symptoms in participants nine months after samples were taken.
These findings could help us diagnose depression in teenagers earlier or even identify those who are at an increased risk of the condition, allowing them to begin interventions sooner, says Flores. 鈥淭hese markers may also help us learn about what is happening in the brain [during adolescent depression],鈥� she says.
However, not everyone experiences depression in the same way, says at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts. Therefore, these results may fail to capture the many possible biological markers that could indicate depression, he says.
