%0 Journal Article
%T ErbB3 mRNA leukocyte levels as a biomarker for major depressive disorder
%A Elena Milanesi
%A Alessandra Minelli
%A Nadia Cattane
%A Annamaria Cattaneo
%A Cristina Mora
%A Alessandro Barbon
%A Alessandra Mallei
%A Maurizio Popoli
%A Vincenzo Florio
%A Andreas Conca
%A Stefano Bignotti
%A Massimo Gennarelli
%J BMC Psychiatry
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-244x-12-145
%X We measured by Real Time PCR ErbB3 and Fgfr1 mRNA expression levels in leukocytes of MDD patients compared with controls. Successively, to assess whether ErbB3 mRNA levels were influenced by previous antidepressant treatment we stratified our patients sample in two cohorts, comparing drug-naive versus drug-free patients. Moreover, we evaluated the levels of the transcript in MDD patients after 12 weeks of antidepressant treatment, and in prefrontal cortex of rats stressed and treated with an antidepressant drug of the same class.These results showed that ErbB3 but not Fgfr1 mRNA levels were reduced in leukocytes of MDD patients compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, ErbB3 levels were not affected by antidepressant treatment in either human or animal modelsOur data suggest that ErbB3 might be considered as a biomarker for MDD and that its deficit may underlie the pathopsysiology of the disease and is not a consequence of treatment. Moreover the study supports the usefulness of leukocytes as a peripheral system for identifying biomarkers in psychiatric diseases.Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a disabling psychiatric condition that is among the top five leading causes of disability and disease burden throughout the world [1]. MDD is a complex disease that is characterised by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors, and its hereditability, as assessed by twin and adoption studies, is approximately 40-50% [2].A biomarker is defined as a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of a normal biological process, a pathogenic process, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention [3]. The search for MDD biological markers could be important for differential diagnosis, the optimisation of patient care and for the development of more effective drug treatments. During the past several years, research has focused on the identification of MDD peripheral biomarkers, supporting the idea that the neuronal alteration
%K Major Depressive Disorder MDD
%K ErbB3
%K Fgfr1
%K Biomarkers
%K Leukocytes
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/12/145