The scientist spoke about the role of extracellular vesicles in the diagnosis of mental disorders

Extracellular vesicles can be a key tool for early diagnosis of depression and addiction. The analysis of their composition allows us to "look into" the processes of the brain, which opens up new perspectives for psychiatry and narcology. Vsevolod Severtsev, PhD, an assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Narcology at Sechenov University, told Izvestia on September 5.

Each cell in the body produces tiny spheres where it packages messages to other cells — small extracellular vesicles. They are able to travel through the body, penetrating through natural barriers. For example, vesicles produced by brain cells can be found in the blood. In the future, they will be able to become a tool for clarifying the diagnosis and developing new approaches to the treatment of various mental and drug-related disorders. One of the directions is the early diagnosis of the risk of complications in alcohol withdrawal syndrome by assessing the characteristics of extracellular vesicles in the blood.

"Vesicles circulating in peripheral blood were previously considered a byproduct of cell life, with which they get rid of unnecessary substances. But now more and more research shows that cells use extracellular vesicles to transmit information to each other. Due to this, in the future, it will be possible to find out what is happening in the brain by taking venous blood for analysis," said Severtsev.

As the scientist noted, various studies are currently underway in the world. For example, Dimitrios Kontoyanis and co-authors have shown that the concentration of certain proteins in vesicles can diagnose the onset of Alzheimer's disease 5-10 years before the onset of clinical symptoms.

"And in depression, one of the links in the pathogenesis is considered to be subthreshold systemic inflammation. There are already registered anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of mood disorders, and vesicles can carry proteins, including interleukins, which contribute to inflammation. So, it is possible that the participation of such "pro—inflammatory" vesicles plays a role in the development of mental disorders," Severtsev listed.

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At Sechenov University, together with colleagues from the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, vesicles are being studied in the body of people with alcohol dependence syndrome, bipolar disorder, normal and atypical depression and other disorders.

"We take blood, isolate small extracellular vesicles from it, specific specifically for the brain, and study their characteristics. We are looking for proteins in these vesicles that stimulate or suppress inflammation, evaluate the activity of enzymes associated with cell death, and some other indicators. As a result, we will be able to understand which vesicles are present in what concentration and with what "weights" in the blood normally, and which are present in pathology," added the assistant professor.

The goal of scientists is to find markers that are characteristic of a particular mental disorder. In the future, new approaches to the treatment of such disorders may be developed.

"We expect that based on the analysis of small extracellular vesicles, it will be possible to predict the development of complicated forms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome as early as the first day, that is, several days before the possible development of the first symptoms," said Severtsev.

According to him, the additional possibility of laboratory diagnostics is especially important for doctors of intensive care and therapeutic departments, because people with alcohol withdrawal syndrome do not always get to psychiatrists and narcologists.

"The study we conducted earlier showed that people who abuse alcohol have significantly fewer vesicles containing a protein such as neuroligin-3 (NLGN3) than healthy volunteers. This protein is produced by both neurons and glial cells, and it plays a crucial role in ensuring the correct transmission of nerve impulses between neurons," said the assistant professor.

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