Exploiting Circulating MicroRNAs as Biomarkers in Psychiatric Disorders

• Published in: Molecular diagnosis & therapy Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 279 - 298
• Main Authors: Roy, Bhaskar, Yoshino, Yuta, Allen, Lauren, Prall, Kevin, Schell, Grant, Dwivedi, Yogesh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-06-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Biomolecules; Bipolar disorder; Brain; Cancer Research; Diagnosis; Diagnostic systems; Human Genetics; Laboratory Medicine; Mental depression; Mental disorders; MicroRNAs; miRNA; Molecular Medicine; Non-coding RNA; Pharmacotherapy; Review Article; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Schizophrenia
• ISSN: 1177-1062; 1179-2000
• DOI: 10.1007/s40291-020-00464-9

Non-invasive peripheral biomarkers play a significant role in both disease diagnosis and progression. In the past few years, microRNA (miRNA) expression changes in circulating peripheral tissues have been found to be correlative with changes in neuronal tissues from patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. This is a notable quality of a biomolecule to be considered as a biomarker for both prognosis and diagnosis of disease. miRNAs, members of the small non-coding RNA family, have recently gained significant attention due to their ability to epigenetically influence almost every aspect of brain functioning. Empirical evidence suggests that miRNA-associated changes in the brain are often translated into behavioral changes. Current clinical understanding further implicates their role in the management of major psychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), and schizophrenia (SZ). This review aims to critically evaluate the potential advantages and disadvantages of miRNAs as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers in psychiatric disorders as well as in treatment response.