Precision Psychiatry: Machine Learning as a Tool to Find New Pharmacological Targets

Abstract

: There is an increasing amount of data arising from neurobehavioral sciences and medical records that cannot be adequately analyzed by traditional research methods. New drugs develop at a slow rate and seem unsatisfactory for the majority of neurobehavioral disorders. Machine learning (ML) techniques, instead, can incorporate psychopathological, computational, cognitive, and neurobiological underpinning knowledge leading to a refinement of detection, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, research, and support. Machine and deep learning methods are currently used to accelerate the process of discovering new pharmacological targets and drugs. Objective: The present work reviews current evidence regarding the contribution of machine learning to the discovery of new drug targets. Methods: Scientific articles from PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Web of Science Core Collection published until May 2021 were included in this review. Results : The most significant areas of research are schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, Alzheimer´s disease, and substance use disorders. ML techniques have pinpointed target gene candidates and pathways, new molecular substances, and several biomarkers regarding psychiatric disorders. Drug repositioning studies using ML have identified multiple drug candidates as promising therapeutic agents. Conclusion: Next-generation ML techniques and subsequent deep learning may power new findings regarding the discovery of new pharmacological agents by bridging the gap between biological data and chemical drug information.