What is a biomarker?

A biomarker attempts to use biological information like proteins in blood, brain waves, or genetics to gather information about a psychiatric condition. This can be information on whether or not someone has a psychiatric illness, if they will develop an illness in the future, or what kinds of therapy they might respond to. These kinds of tests are used frequently for other medical conditions, but it has been difficult to find good tests for use in psychiatric illness. Below are some of the current biomarkers available for clinical use for psychiatric illness. DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS This measures if the someone has a disease MDDScore blood test to diagnose major depressive disorder measures levels of 9 proteins a blood sample recommended for use in conjunction with clinical evaluation approx cost $825 VeriPsych blood test to diagnose schizophrenia measures levels of 51 proteins in a blood sample recommended for use in conjunction with clinical evaluation approx cost $2500 when available, currently not available NEBA brain waves to diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) measures EEG ratio of theta to beta brain waves recommended for use in conjunction with clinical evaluation cost $325 PROGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS This measures if someone will develop a disease THERANOSTIC (PREDICTIVE) BIOMARKERS This measures whether a patient will respond to a particular therapy ATR score for use in depression to predict response to particular antidepressants uses quantitative EEG not available yet GENESIGHT genetic test to predict side effects and dosing of different medications based on patient genotype uses check swab cost $3800 but insurance will sometimes cover most of the cost If you have any questions or want more advice about taking one of these tests, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. 919-636-5240 or email us at office@cognitive-psychiatry.com Live Mentally Healthy, Dr. Jennie Byrne