Cited by 35Treatment of Major DepressionAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesMental Health Research Topics

Transdiagnostic biomarker approaches to mental health disorders: Consideration of symptom complexity, comorbidity and context

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McQuaid, Robyn J.·2021·Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health

Abstract

Depression is a multifaceted disorder characterized by heterogeneous symptom profiles and high rates of comorbidity with other commonly occurring mental illnesses. Considering the burden of mental health disorders and the lack of efficacy of available treatments, there is a need for biomarkers to predict tailored or personalized treatments. However, identifying reliable biomarkers for complex mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety and PTSD, has been challenging, likely owing to the heterogeneity, comorbidity and differences in experiences and histories of individuals. For these reasons, taking a transdiagnostic approach, which identifies biomarkers that map onto shared symptoms/constructs across disorders could be most effective for informing personalized or precision medicine approaches in psychiatry. Transdiagnostic features of anxiety, depression and anhedonia have been examined in relation to brain activity and connectivity patterns. Neuroendocrine and inflammatory markers, which are altered in depression and other comorbid illness, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), might be useful in differentiating transdiagnostic symptom profiles as well as treatment responses. Ultimately, biomarker research that looks beyond diagnostic categories and embraces the complexity of individuals' lives and experiences might be more effective in moving towards precision medicine in psychiatry.

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Authors
McQuaid, R. J.
Affiliations
University of Ottawa (CA)
Corresponding author
McQuaid, Robyn J.
Venue
Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-10
Volume
16
Pages
100303
ISSN
2666-3546 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3186505697
Cited by
35
References
87
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 9
FWCI
2.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Brain Behavior & Immunity - Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • University of Ottawa
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
Keywords
transdiagnostic biomarkers, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, anhedonia, symptom complexity, comorbidities, precision psychiatry, personalized treatment, neuroendocrine markers, inflammatory markers, brain connectivity, treatment response prediction

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