Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry: A Primer

This book presents the ‘state of the art’ of biomarkers research in neuropsychiatric conditions, from dementia to eating disorders, as well as providing methodological, practical and ethical issues related to the development of biomarkers. Biomarkers have revolutionized clinical research and practice in most fields of medicine, but psychiatry has lagged behind. However, in the last decade, there has been a growing expectation that biomarkers will advance and, ultimately, reframe psychiatry research and practice. Biomarkers might inform about diagnosis, therapeutics, prognosis, contributing to a ‘personalized medicine’. Understanding their meaning, possibilities and limitations will help clinicians, researchers and students in the related areas navigate and excel in the challenging and ever changing field of neuropsychiatric disorders.