New Biomarker May Predict Suicide
In a study of 50 depressed teens with major depressive disorder, activation of a key biochemical pathway was elevated in those with a history of suicide attempts, but not in those who were not suicidal. "We're trying to find biological markers that can help us identify adolescents who are at risk for suicide, because right now, all we have when trying to assess suicide risk is the kids' words that they are suicidal or not," said Kailyn Bradley, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine. "We don't have any good, way in the medical world to measure" MDD quantitatively, and each person's levels of a key signaling protein, kynurenine, may offer one.
-Kailyn Bradley, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai