Depression diagnostic passes initial trial

A test developed by Ridge Diagnostics appeared in an initial clinical trial to successfully differentiate between depressed and healthy patients. Massachusetts General Hospital researchers conducted the trial with Ridge. They found that 33 of 36 patients who were already depressed tested positive for depression, but only 8 of 43 controls tested positive. In a second round, 31 of 34 depressed patients tested positive for depression. The test uses 9 biomarkers to gauge factors such as inflammation, the development and maintenance of neurons and the interaction between different structures in the brain involved with stress response. Details are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, and further testing is planned. Release