Transcriptional biomarkers of response to pharmacological treatments in severe mental disorders: A systematic review.

Abstract

Variation in the expression level and activity of genes involved in drug disposition and action in tissues of pharmacological importance have been increasingly investigated in patients treated with psychotropic drugs. Findings are promising, but reliable predictive biomarkers of response have yet to be identified. Here we conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic search of PubMed, Scopus and PsycInfo up to 12 September 2020 for studies investigating RNA expression levels in cells or biofluids from patients with major depressive disorder, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder characterized for response to psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, antipsychotics or mood stabilizers) or adverse effects. Among 5497 retrieved studies, 123 (63 on antidepressants, 33 on antipsychotics and 27 on mood stabilizers) met inclusion criteria. Studies were either focused on mRNAs (n = 96), microRNAs (n = 19) or long non-coding RNAs (n = 1), with only a minority investigating both mRNAs and microRNAs levels (n = 7). The most replicated results include genes playing a role in inflammation (antidepressants), neurotransmission (antidepressants and antipsychotics) or mitochondrial function (mood stabilizers). Compared to those investigating response to antidepressants, studies focused on antipsychotics or mood stabilizers more often showed lower sample size and lacked replication. Strengths and limitations of available studies are presented and discussed in light of the specific designs, methodology and clinical characterization of included patients for transcriptomic compared to DNA-based studies. Finally, future directions of transcriptomics of psychopharmacological interventions in psychiatric disorders are discussed.

• Authors: Claudia Pisanu, Giovanni Severino, Ilario De Toma, Mara Dierssen, Paolo Fusar-Poli, Massimo Gennarelli, Pietro Lio, Elisabetta Maffioletti, Eduard Maron, Divya Mehta, Alessandra Minelli, Marie-Claude Potier, Alessandro Serretti, David Stacey, Roos van Westrhenen, Laura Xicota, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Pharmacogenomics & Transcriptomics Network, Bernhard T Baune, Alessio Squassina
• Journal: European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (Eur Neuropsychopharmacol) Vol. 55 Pg. 112-157 (02 2022) ISSN: 1873-7862 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 35016057 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Systematic Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Chemical References

• Anticonvulsants
• Antimanic Agents
• Antipsychotic Agents
• Biomarkers
• MicroRNAs

Topics

• Anticonvulsants
• Antimanic Agents
• Antipsychotic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Biomarkers
• Depressive Disorder, Major (drug therapy, genetics)
• Humans
• Mental Disorders (drug therapy, genetics)
• MicroRNAs (genetics)