Researchers Say Blood Test for Depression Possible

Researchers at Medical University of Vienna say that it is possible to develop a blood test for depression.

According to the team, levels of a protein called Serotonin transporter (SERT) can be a reliable indicator of depression. The study challenges the idea that blood tests can't be used to diagnose mental illnesses.

Serotonin transporter (SERT) regulates the movement of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which relays signals to the brain. Symptoms of depression are often associated with lack of serotonin in the body, which is why serotonin transporter is targeted by several anti-depressants.

Popular medications for depression such as Zoloft (sertraline) and Prozac (fluoxetine) work by increasing levels of serotonin, according to Medical News Today.

Although, serotonin is manufactured in the brain, it is usually found in digestive tract and blood platelets.

The serotonin transporter ensures that the blood has the right concentration of the serotonin. In the present study, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show that there is a link between the speed at which the happiness hormone is used by the blood platelets and default mode network.

The default mode network is the reason why people indulge in self evaluation during rest. Science says that people with depression aren't able to shut this default thought process and concentrate on immediate work.

"This is the first study that has been able to predict the activity of a major depression network in the brain using a blood test. While blood tests for mental illnesses have until recently been regarded as impossible, this study clearly shows that a blood test is possible in principle for diagnosing depression and could become reality in the not too distant future," explained Lukas Pezawas, lead author of the study, from the Department of Biological Psychiatry at the University Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, according to a news release.

The study was published in the journal PLoS One.