New biomarker for mental illness in women identified

A biological marker has been identified that could act as a useful diagnostic indicator of mental illness in female psychiatric patients.

The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine study found that a gene called XIST is overproduced in female patients with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia.

Looking at 60 lymphoblastoid cell lines from female patients – most of whom had a family history of mental illness – it was found that around 50 percent of female patients exhibited abnormally higher levels of XIST and other genes related to the X chromosome.

This gene is responsible for inactivating one of the two copies of the X chromosome in cells that store genetic material.

Lead author Dr Xianjin Zhou, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said: "These results are powerful in that early diagnosis of mental illness could possibly happen with a simple blood test, leading to better interventions, therapy and treatment options."

It is also hoped that reversing the abnormal activity of the inactive X chromosome in patients suffering from mental illness may offer a potential new strategy for treating their psychiatric disorders.