Systems Biology in Psychiatric Research: From Complex Data Sets Over Wiring Diagrams to Computer Simulations

Tretter, Felix; Gebicke‐Haerter, Peter J.

doi:10.1007/978-1-61779-458-2_36

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…This usage may reflect our limited understanding of the real-time coordination of the brain, and the fact that psychiatric disorders are functional expressions of subtler pathologies. Given the advent of brain imaging techniques with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to quantify neural connections in vivo, it is the right time to reformulate our understanding of mental illness as disorders of brain functioning [17]. …”

Section: The Problem and The Unique Opportunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The new field of ‘precision psychiatry’

Fernandes

Williams

Steiner

et al. 2017

BMC Med

401

300

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BackgroundPrecision medicine is a new and important topic in psychiatry. Psychiatry has not yet benefited from the advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies that form an integral part of other clinical specialties. Thus, the vision of precision medicine as applied to psychiatry – ‘precision psychiatry’ – promises to be even more transformative than in other fields of medicine, which have already lessened the translational gap.DiscussionHerein, we describe ‘precision psychiatry’ and how its several implications promise to transform the psychiatric landscape. We pay particular attention to biomarkers and to how the development of new technologies now makes their discovery possible and timely. The adoption of the term ‘precision psychiatry’ will help propel the field, since the current term ‘precision medicine’, as applied to psychiatry, is impractical and does not appropriately distinguish the field. Naming the field ‘precision psychiatry’ will help establish a stronger, unique identity to what promises to be the most important area in psychiatry in years to come.ConclusionIn summary, we provide a wide-angle lens overview of what this new field is, suggest how to propel the field forward, and provide a vision of the near future, with ‘precision psychiatry’ representing a paradigm shift that promises to change the landscape of how psychiatry is currently conceived.

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Section: The Problem and The Unique Opportunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The new field of ‘precision psychiatry’

Fernandes

Williams

Steiner

et al. 2017

BMC Med

401

300

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…At present, the methodological commitment is devoted to exploring “big data” sets with sophisticated mathematical tools that allow for the identification of clusters that help to predict behavior patterns. Neuroscience continues this development largely starting in molecular systems biology with its strong roots in mathematics (Kitano, 2002; Le Novère, 2007; Tretter et al, 2010). …”

Section: Neurobiology—some Intradisciplinary Methodological Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methodological Problems on the Way to Integrative Human Neuroscience

Kotchoubey

Tretter

Braun

et al. 2016

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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109

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Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary effort to understand the structures and functions of the brain and brain-mind relations. This effort results in an increasing amount of data, generated by sophisticated technologies. However, these data enhance our descriptive knowledge, rather than improve our understanding of brain functions. This is caused by methodological gaps both within and between subdisciplines constituting neuroscience, and the atomistic approach that limits the study of macro- and mesoscopic issues. Whole-brain measurement technologies do not resolve these issues, but rather aggravate them by the complexity problem. The present article is devoted to methodological and epistemic problems that obstruct the development of human neuroscience. We neither discuss ontological questions (e.g., the nature of the mind) nor review data, except when it is necessary to demonstrate a methodological issue. As regards intradisciplinary methodological problems, we concentrate on those within neurobiology (e.g., the gap between electrical and chemical approaches to neurophysiological processes) and psychology (missing theoretical concepts). As regards interdisciplinary problems, we suggest that core disciplines of neuroscience can be integrated using systemic concepts that also entail human-environment relations. We emphasize the necessity of a meta-discussion that should entail a closer cooperation with philosophy as a discipline of systematic reflection. The atomistic reduction should be complemented by the explicit consideration of the embodiedness of the brain and the embeddedness of humans. The discussion is aimed at the development of an explicit methodology of integrative human neuroscience, which will not only link different fields and levels, but also help in understanding clinical phenomena.

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“…The major quest in the field of NP disorders is to reduce behavioral and mental phenomena into biochemical properties that can be tested and examined objectively through molecular biology techniques (Tretter and Gebicke-Haerter, 2012). This is carried out by the application of systems biology to NP disorders and neuro-systems starting by the integration of HT datasets from the different levels of the system (Zhang et al, 2010).…”

Section: The Application Of Systems Biology In Neuroscience and Psychmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, current available diagnostic systems like DSM-IV and ICP-10 rely principally on clinicians’ assessment even if different disorders – treated differently – have similar manifestations (Linden, 2012; Tretter and Gebicke-Haerter, 2012). Molecular biology techniques may enable these diagnostic strategies to be more accurate and objective, and allow for disease classifications better suited for more targeted personalized and effective therapy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, and Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry

Alawieh¹,

Zaraket²,

Li³

et al. 2012

Front. Neurosci.

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Although neuropsychiatric (NP) disorders are among the top causes of disability worldwide with enormous financial costs, they can still be viewed as part of the most complex disorders that are of unknown etiology and incomprehensible pathophysiology. The complexity of NP disorders arises from their etiologic heterogeneity and the concurrent influence of environmental and genetic factors. In addition, the absence of rigid boundaries between the normal and diseased state, the remarkable overlap of symptoms among conditions, the high inter-individual and inter-population variations, and the absence of discriminative molecular and/or imaging biomarkers for these diseases makes difficult an accurate diagnosis. Along with the complexity of NP disorders, the practice of psychiatry suffers from a “top-down” method that relied on symptom checklists. Although checklist diagnoses cost less in terms of time and money, they are less accurate than a comprehensive assessment. Thus, reliable and objective diagnostic tools such as biomarkers are needed that can detect and discriminate among NP disorders. The real promise in understanding the pathophysiology of NP disorders lies in bringing back psychiatry to its biological basis in a systemic approach which is needed given the NP disorders’ complexity to understand their normal functioning and response to perturbation. This approach is implemented in the systems biology discipline that enables the discovery of disease-specific NP biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutics. Systems biology involves the use of sophisticated computer software “omics”-based discovery tools and advanced performance computational techniques in order to understand the behavior of biological systems and identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers specific for NP disorders together with new targets of therapeutics. In this review, we try to shed light on the need of systems biology, bioinformatics, and biomarkers in neuropsychiatry, and illustrate how the knowledge gained through these methodologies can be translated into clinical use providing clinicians with improved ability to diagnose, manage, and treat NP patients.

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Systems Biology in Psychiatric Research: From Complex Data Sets Over Wiring Diagrams to Computer Simulations

Cited by 14 publications

References 55 publications

The new field of ‘precision psychiatry’

The new field of ‘precision psychiatry’

Methodological Problems on the Way to Integrative Human Neuroscience

Systems Biology, Bioinformatics, and Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry

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