Blood test can instantly diagnose depression

May 31, 2011 by Deborah Braconnier in Psychology & Psychiatry report

(Medical Xpress) -- Backed by the medical research group Human Metabolome Technologies (HMT), researchers at Keio University have developed a test which measures the concentration of phosphoric acid in the blood as an indicator of depression.

In a previous study, HMT made the connection between phosphoric acid and depression and found that those patients with depression have lower concentrations of ethanolamine phosphate. Researchers are able to use the blood test to diagnose patients with depression and have an 82 percent success rate.

Researchers presented the at the Japanese Society of Biological Psychiatry in Tokyo. They hope to make the new test available to physicians within the next two years.

This is not the first blood test created for the diagnosis of depression and there are many others under development. However, most of these other tests look at white blood cell DNA and are very time-consuming. HMT is currently developing a that will be able to determine the level of ethanolamine phosphate in only minutes.

© 2010 PhysOrg.com

4.3 /5 (6 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

Dr_Mabuse
May 31, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
I do not believe in this.
What is rthe sensitivity and the specificy of this test ?
Does it discriminate between different types of depression, e.g. neurotic or endogennous or psychoorganic or posttraumatic type ?
Or does one just want to sell a new kit for the General Physician ?
Dr.Mabuse
jbg
May 31, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
Regardless of whether you've got a machine that can read chemicals or ethanolamine phosphate levels that you can sell to the General, it doesn't change the fact that these chemical levels and these ethanolamine phosphate levels were read or taken when the person was a bit depressed, but the next day the person got some good news and the things that were depressing them changed for the better and the levels returned to normal, unfortunately the drug the crap out of them doctor had added some ethanolamine phosphate a day or two earlier,and now the person has gone ratty because his ethanolamine phosphate levels are way too high, or chemical b was too low, same bloke different haircut, and inst it funny how it was information that got their levels back to normal, think ill leave it there and see what that does to your thinking.
Ramael
May 31, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
We don't have souls, makes sense to me that the phenomenon manifests chemically. There are a number of health related phenomenon that indicate depression is more than just behavioural.
jbg
Jun 01, 2011

Rank: not rated yet

I didn't know we didn't have souls, so does that mean we can poison them does it, beauty,gung ho! Who's got the needle ?
hush1
Jun 01, 2011

Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
Ah.
.1)I pass.
.2)I refuse to comment about this.
.3)Place peer reviewed published research paper on my desk.
.4)Take two aspirin.
.5)Drink plenty of water.
.6)Stop speculating. No preemptive opinions.
.7)Call me back in 7 days. Remember 7, associated with luck.
Rank 4.3 /5 (6 votes)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Poor nutrition leading to overeating?
    created4 hours ago
  • Math and dyslexia?
    createdMay 21, 2012
  • portable metabolism meter?
    createdMay 21, 2012
  • Rare medical conditions on 20/20 tonight
    createdMay 18, 2012
  • "Good" Cholesterol in Doubt
    createdMay 17, 2012
  • A couple of questions about schizophrenia
    createdMay 17, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences

More news stories

Psychological Science explains uproar over prostate-cancer screenings

The uproar that began last year when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stated that doctors should no longer offer regular prostate-cancer tests to healthy men continued this week when the task force released their final ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created 11 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Wrongful convictions can be reduced through science, but tradeoffs exist

Many of the wrongful convictions identified in a report this week hinged on a misidentified culprit — and a new report in a top journal on psychological science reveals the paradox of reforms in eyewitness identification ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created 15 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Bias found in mental health drug research presented at major psychiatric meeting

When thousands of psychiatrists attend their field's largest annual meeting each year, the presentations they hear about research into drug treatments report overwhelmingly on positive results.

Psychology & Psychiatry created 18 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Genetic marker may predict smoking quantity in African Americans

In a step toward understanding possible genetic differences in smoking behaviors, a team of researchers co-led by SRI International has identified a genetic marker associated with smoking quantity in people of African ancestry. ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created 18 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Educational games to train middle schoolers' attention, empathy

Two years ago, at a meeting on science and education, Richard Davidson challenged video game manufacturers to develop games that emphasize kindness and compassion instead of violence and aggression.

Psychology & Psychiatry created 20 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Scientists turn patients' skin cells into heart muscle cells to repair their damaged hearts

For the first time scientists have succeeded in taking skin cells from heart failure patients and reprogramming them to transform into healthy, new heart muscle cells that are capable of integrating with existing heart tissue.

Scientists start explaining Fat Bastard's vicious cycle

Fat Bastard's revelation "I eat because I'm depressed and I'm depressed because I eat" in the Austin Powers film series may be explained by sophisticated neuroscience research being undertaken by scientists affiliated with ...

Socioeconomics may affect toddlers' exposure to flame retardants

A Duke University-led study of North Carolina toddlers suggests that exposure to potentially toxic flame-retardant chemicals may be higher in nonwhite toddlers than in white toddlers.

Pathological aging brains contain the same amyloid plaques as Alzheimer's disease

Pathological aging (PA) is used to describe the brains of people which have Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology but where the person showed no signs of cognitive impairment whilst they were alive. New research, published ...

Breast MRI helps predict chemotherapy's effectiveness

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides an indication of a breast tumor's response to pre-surgical chemotherapy significantly earlier than possible through clinical examination, according to a new study published online ...

New study confirms value of cardiac output monitor

(Medical Xpress) -- A new Australian study has confirmed the accuracy of a modern non-invasive cardiac output monitor that can replace a 40-year-old standard in this field.