Pilot Study Identifies Novel Protein Biomarkers in Women Experiencing Perinatal Depression and Anxiety
A pilot study has identified novel third-trimester plasma protein biomarkers that may help to indicate which women have a predisposed high risk for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Results were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
“Participants with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders had a unique and distinct plasma protein signature that regulated a variety of neuronal signaling and proinflammatory pathways,” noted Eynav Accortt, PhD, director of the Reproductive Psychology Program, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles, and co-authors in the study conclusion.
“Additional validation studies with larger sample sizes are needed to determine whether some of these molecules can be used in conjunction with traditional risk factors for the early detection of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.”
The controlled pilot study included 52 women, 34 of whom had a risk for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and 18 controls. Mental health screening was conducted at 2 points, first during the third trimester and the second at 3 months postdelivery. Risk for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders were evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale, and the Impact of Events Scale.
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To identify possible biomarkers, researchers screened plasma samples taken during the third trimester using the aptamer-based SomaLogic SomaScan to evaluate changes in 1305 protein analytes that may be connected to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. They then used Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to identify significant up- or down-regulation perinatal mood and anxiety disorder-specific proteins in all subjects experiencing PMAD with or without preeclampsia.
Analyses produced a panel of 53 significant PMAD-associated proteins, 20 of which together indicated a unique protein signature that differentiated patients experiencing PMAD from controls in a principal component analysis (P<.05). This signature included proteins NCAM1, NRCAM, and NTRK3 “that converge around neuronal signaling pathways regulating axonal guidance, astrocyte differentiation, and maintenance of GABAergic neurons.”
Researchers also noted that when the analysis was restricted to patients experiencing PMAD without preeclampsia, a 30-protein signature distinguished the group’s PMAD cases from the other controls “without overlap on the principal component analysis (P<.001). The signature included expressions of proteins CXCL11, CXCL6, MIC-B, and B2MG, which regulate leucocyte migration, inflammation, and immune function.
"The critical first step in prevention of any disease is knowing if you are at risk. The process of discovering a diagnostic test for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, through biomarker research like this, is our holy grail," said Accortt.
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