Platelet’s Fatty Acids and Differential Diagnosis of Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder through the Use of an Unsupervised Competitive-Learning Network Algorithm (SOM)

Abstract

Aim of the study: The main purpose of this work was to verify, through the study of three fatty acids of platelets (namely: Palmitic Acid-PA, Linoleic Acid-LA, Arachidonic Acid-AA) the ability to distinguish adult subjects with Major Depression (MD) from those with Bipolar Disorder (BD), using an artificial neural network (Self Organizing Map-SOM) and an indirect index of the viscosity of the membrane (B2), in agreement with previous results; secondly, the ability to understand any similarities between children and adults in the molecular characterization of mood disorders, both in general and in relation to a subset of individuals with suicidal ideation, indicated by the survey instruments used (SOM). Design: The study design, in order to achieve the objectives, has forecast the recruitment of three groups of subjects without regard to sex, age, food intake patterns, or pharmacological therapies: 1) Controls; 2) Subjects with Major Depression; 3) Subjects with Bipolar Disorder. They were provided for the following investigations: 1) Platelet Fatty Acids analysis; 2) Plasma and platelet serotonin levels; 3) Oxidative stress and inflammation markers. * Corresponding authors. S. Benedetti et al. 53Moreover, the data of the fatty acids of platelets, previously obtained by a group of children were used, for comparison, in the SOM, with adults surveyed. Subjects participating in the study: All participants, volunteer, were recruited in the judgment of psychiatrists as they presented themselves to the office visit of the "Dipartimento di Salute Mentale", ASUR 4, Fano, Italy. All subjects were submitted to a semi-structured interview based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI), Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), and Hypomania/Mania Symptom Checklist (HCL-32) were also applied to each patient. Adult subjects who did not give consent, patients with a diagnosis other than an affective disorder and subjects in their first clinical episode were excluded. The study was double blind. Outcomes: The results obtained have confirmed the main objective of the study. It was possible to obtain, in fact, the recognition of individuals with Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder, using the SOM and the index B2. Value of the study: The methodology used in this study may be of utility, such as quantitative diagnostic support to the psychiatrist, in order to reduce the high error that occurs in the first diagnosis, with regard to mood disorders. Limitations of this study: The limitations of this study are mainly related to the number of controls. They should have been more numerous such as the number of suicidal ideations. About the comparison with children, the main limitation seems to be the lack of psychiatric diagnosis of children, so that any results just assume the value of hypotheses. Future Research: Because of the strong classificatory properties of the SOM, it would require a RCT in a larger sample of subjects with mood dis...

Depression and Ischemic Heart Disease or Ischemic Heart Disease and Depression?

“…Other data show significant lipid abnormalities in patients with mood disorders Benedetti et al, 2014;Fava et al, 1996).…”

“…Each case has been recognized by the SOM providing a comprehensive picture of gravity with respect to the CAD and the recognition of cases of MD and BD. Within these two pathologies the SOM has further recognized cases of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, severe psychosis and suicide attempt (Benedetti et al, 2014). Out of the descriptive phase of research and because of the conflictual hypothesis of the scientific literature on the controversial interdependence of depression and coronary heart disease (Hare et al, 2014), we have considered the subjects studied by evaluating crosswise the "depressed patients" within the SOM of ischemia and the ischemic patients within the SOM of depression.…”

Connection between the Linoleic Acid and Psychopathology: A Symmetry-Breaking Phenomenon in the Brain?

“…In a particular cell, the platelet, which is known to be a mirror of the neuron in psychiatric disorders (Cocchi, Tonello, & Gabrielli, 2012a;Takahashi, 1976;Stahl, 1977;Pletscher & Laubscher, 1980;Da Prada, Cesura, Launay et al, 1988;Kim et al, 1982;Musselman, 1996;Camacho & Dimsdale, 2000;Plein & Berk, 2001;Bowden, 2001), were found significant fluctuations of linoleic acid in reference to different psychiatric disorders (Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Suicide Attempts) and Ischemic Cardiovascular Disease, i.e. very low concentrations in suicide attempts and cardiovascular disease and high concentrations in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Benedetti et al, 2012;Benedetti et al, 2014;Cocchi, Gabrielli, & Tonello, 2013;Cocchi, Tonello, & Gabrielli, 2012b, 2012cCocchi, Tonello, & Lercker, 2010;Cocchi & Tonello, 2010aCocchi, Tonello, & Rasenick, 2010) (see Figure 3).…”

Depression and Microbiome—Study on the Relation and Contiguity between Dogs and Humans

“…In 2006, Cocchi [9] carried out a study on the similarity between the fatty acid profiles of platelets and neurons. Based on this similarity, they were able to identify different mood disorders (Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder) by creating an artificial neural network, whose crucial factors were three fatty acids (i.e., Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Arachidonic Acid) [10,11]. The same study was conducted taking into account different animal species and its most important evidence was the molecular similarity between two particular dog breeds (German Shepherd and Alaskan Malamute) and humans affected by Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder [2,12,13].…”