A microRNA, miR-1202, is downregulated in the brains of individuals with major depressive disorder. Patients who responded to treatment with antidepressants had lower levels of miR-1202 at baseline than did non-responders, and expression of miR-1202 increased during the course of treatment in antidepressant-responsive patients. miR-1202 regulates glutamate receptor 4 expression, which could explain these observations. miR-1202 could be a target for treating depression, or used as a biomarker to predict response.
References
Lopez, J. P. et al. miR-1202 is a primate-specific and brain-enriched microRNA involved in major depression and antidepressant treatment. Nature Med. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.3582 (2014)
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Cully, M. microRNA in depression and treatment response. Nat Rev Drug Discov 13, 576 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4394
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4394