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Blood test may predict suicide risk

Researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine have identified possible RNA biomarkers for suicide risk, according to the results of a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

"Taken together, our results have implications for the understanding of suicide, as well as for the development of objective laboratory tests and tools to track suicidal risk and response to treatment," the researchers wrote.

Alexander B. Niculescu III, MD, and colleagues followed patients with bipolar disorder for 3 years, collecting whole-blood samples and conducting structured, clinical interviews every 3 to 6 months. They identified a subgroup of 9 patients from the larger longitudinal cohort that had experienced a change from no suicidal ideation to high suicidal ideation between visits. The researchers observed a number of changes in gene expression in the patients and subjected their findings to genomic analysis, which identified gene biomarkers that correlated with the change in behavior, namely SAT1, as well as a series of other RNA markers.

 

Alexander B. Niculescu III, MD, and colleagues from Indiana University School of Medicine found a series of RNA biomarkers in blood that may help identify who is at risk for committing suicide.

Source: Indiana University School of Medicine

The results from the genomic analysis were then compared with a demographic and aged-matched cohort of suicide completers, whose blood samples were obtained from the coroner's office. Thirteen of the 41 biomarkers (32%) most relevant to the changes in suicidal ideation identified in the first cohort were also discovered in the decedents. The markers were also validated in two prospective follow-up analyses of live patients with bipolar disorder (n=42) and schizophrenia (n=46). In both cohorts, blood levels of SAT1 predicted both future and past hospitalizations for suicide. Three other biomarkers — PTEN, MARCKS and MAP3K3 — showed similar but weaker associations with suicide risk.

The researchers noted that one limitation to the study was that the research participants were all male.

"Given the fact that approximately 1 million people die of suicide worldwide each year, and this is a potentially preventable cause of death, the need for, urgency and importance of efforts such as ours cannot be overstated," the researchers concluded.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.