Blood Test for Depression

Serotonin transporter (SERT) is a protein in the cell membrane that facilitates the transport of the neurotransmitter serotonin – levels of which associate with mood, into the cell. Depression can frequently be caused by a lack of serotonin. Christian Scharinger, from MedUni Vienna (Austria), and colleagues have devised a blood test to detect depression. Specifically, the test measures the speed of the serotonin uptake in blood platelets and the function of a depression network in the brain, known as the "default mode network.”  Observing an “important role of neuronal [serotonin] reuptake in [default mode network] regulation," the study authors are hopeful that “a blood test is possible in principle for diagnosing depression and could become reality in the not too distant future."