Blood Test May Predict Suicide

[ScottMentalPod]

A blood test to predict and treat mental health issues is an extremely important advancement. Anything to take the guess work out of treatment is a good thing.

Another thought about this discovery: the prefrontal cortex is the last region of the brain to mature. The brain keeps growing until about 25. In theory, this means a mental disorder that shows up at 20 could "resolve itself" by the time they turn 25. Also, do any existing medications make the prefrontal cortex larger? Does medication help make the prefrontal cortex? Wouldn't it be great to treat the root cause versus the symptoms?

Blood Test May Predict Suicide Risk By Studying Levels Of Gene Mutation SKA2
http://www.medicaldaily.com/blood-test- ... ka2-295606
"The study is published online in the The American Journal of Psychiatry. It suggests that alterations in the gene SKA2 modifies the way the brain would normally react to stress hormones, and changes what might otherwise be an insignificant reaction to everyday stresses into suicidal thoughts and behaviors."

"They then designed a model, which with about 80 percent accuracy could identify participants who were experiencing suicidal thoughts or had attempted suicide. Cases with high risk of suicide were predicted with 90 percent accuracy. In the youngest data set, based on the blood test, the team could predict with 96 percent accuracy, if the subject had suicidal tendencies or not."

"The SKA2 gene is expressed in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the region of the brain last to mature. This part of the brain also dictates if people will be vulnerable to conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc."

"SKA2 gene is responsible for regulating the release of stress hormones like cortisol. Any changes to the level or expression of the gene modify the way it channels the stress hormone receptor in to the cells. This results in cortisol being released throughout the brain as the receptor is unable to suppress its release. Previous studies have shown that elevated levels of cortisol affect serotonin, the mood-regulating neurotransmitter, and this imbalance leads to suicidal thoughts."

Identification and Replication of a Combined Epigenetic and Genetic Biomarker Predicting Suicide and Suicidal Behaviors
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article ... id=1892819