Novel Blood Test May Predict Who Is Likely To Develop Psychotic Disorders

Mental Health News – New study reveals that testing the levels of certain proteins in blood samples can predict whether a person at risk of psychosis is likely to develop a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia years later.

Researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences analyzed blood samples taken from people at clinical high risk of psychosis. Subjects were followed for years to find out who did and did not develop a psychotic disorder. After the assessment of proteins in blood samples, scientists used machine learning to analyze the data that revealed patterns of proteins in the early blood samples that could predict who did and did not develop a psychotic disorder at follow-up.

Many of these proteins are involved in inflammation suggesting early changes in the immune system in people who go on to develop a psychotic disorder. Researchers say that it is possible to predict their outcomes using blood samples taken several years in advance. The team needs to study these markers in other people at high risk of psychosis to confirm these findings.

If it is possible to accurately identify who is most at risk of developing a psychotic disorder, mental health professionals can come up with preventive treatments.

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RCSI. (2020, August 27). Scientists use blood test to predict who is likely to develop psychotic disorders. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 22, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826123119.htm