The Key to Early Diagnosis of Major Depression

The Neurological Diseases Translational Research Group of the Santiago Health Research Institute (IDIS) conducted a study that suggests that nervous system protein as a biomarker for diagnosing major depression, a complex mental disorder in which multiple psychosocial, genetic, epigenetic and biological factors intervene.

The study, titled “Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain Levels in Major Depressive Disorder: A Brief Research Report,” was published in the prestigious journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

He IDIS study led by researchers Carlos Fernandez Pereira, Roberto Agis Balboa and José Maria Prieto

last head of the neurology service of the Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela. The goal of the study is to detect small changes in the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a nervous system protein that may indicate axonal damage and which will be used as a biomarker for early detection of depressive processes.

“This discovery will allow the assessment or quantification of potential brain damage, monitoring and response to treatment, making it possible to predict the clinical course of major depressive disorder,” says Roberto Agis.

Currently, the diagnosis of depression and other mental conditions is based on a series of subjective scales that assess patients’ symptoms. “Instead, this study is based on peripheral biomarkers (molecules, genes, proteins) that can be objectively measured to reflect an altered or pathological physiological state, in this case the biomarker we chose is light neurofilament,” explains first author Carlos Fernandez.

This study combines an assessment other proteins that may act as biomarkers of depression are such as insulin growth factor hormone IGF-2. “In the same context, several ongoing projects of the ITEN group are using SIMOA technology to study dementia and multiple sclerosis; we expect promising results in the not too distant future,” the researchers note.

Light neurofilament levels

NfL levels have been found to be altered in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, both in the cerebrospinal fluid and in the blood. However, studying Peripheral NFL in mental disorders has not yet been sufficiently studied.

“In this case, we focused on studying patients with major depressive disorder, based not only on the fact that it is a potential risk factor for other neurological diseases, but also on the fact that existing association with cognitive function“explain the researchers.

“In the present study, we did not find statistically significant changes in NFL levels in patients diagnosed with major depression, despite a clear upward trend relative to the control group,” the research team noted.

The scientific literature has found mixed results, with some studies showing increased levels of NfL in depression compared to healthy controls, while others showed no change. In no case was a decrease in level detected.