Researchers Identify Biomarkers that Aid in the Understanding of Schizophrenia

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say they have discovered a set of laboratory-based biomarkers that can help in the understanding of brain-based abnormalities in schizophrenia. The measurements, called endophenotypes, could be a boon to clinicians who sometimes have difficulty recognizing and treating the complicated mental disorder. The findings appear in the current online issue of PLoS ONE.

“A major problem in psychiatry is that there are currently no laboratory tests that aid in diagnosis, guide treatment decisions or help predict treatment response or outcomes,” says Gregory A. Light, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and the study’s first author. “Diagnoses are currently based on a clinician’s ability to make inferences about patients’ inner experiences.” For more information, click here to read the full release.