A blood test will be developed to investigate biomarkers that objectively judge the risk of developing anxiety neurosis, the current severity, and the most effective treatment



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Anxiety neurosis ' is a symptom that causes not only mental disorders but also physical problems due to excessive stress, fatigue, strong anxiety and fear. A research team led by Alexander Niculescu of the University of Indianapolis can objectively determine the risk of developing anxiety, the severity of the current anxiety, and the treatments that are likely to best treat the anxiety. Developed a blood test.

Towards precision medicine for anxiety disorders: objective assessment, risk prediction, pharmacogenomics, and repurposed drugs | Molecular Psychiatry
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-01998-0



IU researchers develop blood tests for anxiety

https://medicine.iu.edu/news/2023/03/blood-test-for-anxiety



New Blood Test Developed for Anxiety | Technology Networks

https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/new-blood-test-developed-for-anxiety-370924

A study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine estimated that 792 million people worldwide are living with a mental health disorder, with approximately 284 million suffering from anxiety disorders, phobias, It is said that he suffers from symptoms such as PTSD. 'Many patients today suffer from anxiety neurosis, which can interfere with their daily lives,' said Niculescu.

On the other hand, Niculescu said, ``The current doctor's approach to anxiety is to use medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy , but some of the drugs administered are addictive. Therefore, we developed a blood test approach to connect patients with existing drugs that could be a more effective and non-addictive option.'

The research team is ``survey of blood RNA changes between anxiety patients and healthy individuals'', ``prioritization of candidate biomarkers indicating anxiety'', ``verification of biomarkers'', and ``clinical usefulness''. We developed a blood test for anxiety using a 4-step approach of testing biomarkers.

In developing the blood test, the research team conducted regular surveys of patients hospitalized at the Indianapolis Medical Center, performed blood tests, and verified biomarkers. In addition, the research team identified gender differences in genes in the blood of male and female patients with major psychiatric disorders and conducted a longitudinal study to discover biomarkers of genes that predispose to anxiety.



A study conducted in patients with clinically diagnosed severe anxiety led to the determination of the effects of drugs such as

estradiol , pyreneperone and loperamide on individual biomarkers. Succeeded.

Regarding the blood test approach, Niculescu said, ``There are many ways to treat anxiety, including medication and lifestyle changes. 'Objective criteria, such as blood tests, can be very powerful in people's care because they can tell us about the risks and treatment options that are right for each individual.'

In addition, biomarkers that indicate health status can change over time, and Niculescu said, ``Testing with blood tests can indicate the patient's risk of developing higher levels of anxiety in the future, and changes in hormone levels, etc. It helps us assess how these factors affect anxiety.'

In addition, Niculescu noted that the lack of proper diagnosis of anxiety has resulted in people being rushed to the emergency room after having a panic attack, mistaking it for a heart attack. If we can detect anxiety neurosis at an early stage through testing, we can expect to be able to alleviate the patient's pain as much as possible and provide appropriate treatment tailored to the individual patient.'



The research team's goal is to find biomarkers of anxiety, regardless of whether the cause of anxiety is biological or caused by external drugs.

Furthermore, according to Mr. Niculescu, the blood test for anxiety can be tested in combination with blood tests for depression, bipolar disorder , and PTSD developed by the research team of Mr. Niculescu and others. It provides a more comprehensive picture of current mental health and future mental health concerns.

Anxiety researchers can also use these blood tests to develop novel treatments for anxiety that target individual biomarkers.



This blood test by the research team is being further developed in collaboration with a start-up company based in Indiana, USA.

``Our research team's goal is to be able to provide patients and their doctors with a comprehensive mental health report using just one blood collection tube,'' said Niculescu. increase.

in Science, Posted by log1r_ut