Steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1), also known as nuclear receptor coactivator-1 (NCOA1), represents the first identified member of the p160 nuclear receptor coactivator family and plays a pivotal role in integrating steroid hormone signals, regulating gene transcription, and maintaining neural homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS). SRC-1 exhibits region-specific, cell-type-specific, and sexually dimorphic expression patterns in the brain, with prominent distribution in key regions including the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, and amygdala. Functional studies demonstrate that SRC-1 participates in diverse neural functions such as learning and memory, energy metabolism, emotional regulation, and reproductive behavior through modulation of synaptic plasticity-related genes, neurotrophic factors, and metabolic pathways. Aberrant SRC-1 expression is closely associated with neurodegenerative diseases, autism spectrum disorders, and glioblastoma. This review systematically summarizes the molecular structure, expression characteristics, physiological functions of SRC-1, and its roles in neurological disorders, while discussing its potential applications as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target.
Serum hypocretin, neurofilament heavy chain, and interleukin-1β as combined predictors of sleep disorders following acute ischemic stroke
BackgroundSleep disorders represent a common and impactful complication following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to identify clinical risk factors and evaluate the predictive value of serum hypocretin (Hcrt), neurofilament heavy chain (NfH), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) for post-stroke sleep disorders.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective observational study of 256 patients with AIS. Patients were classified into sleep disorder (n = 161) and non-sleep disorder (n = 95) groups based on their Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores 7 days after stroke onset. Fasting serum levels of Hcrt, NfH, and IL-1β were measured upon admission. We utilized multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to evaluate predictive performance. The combined model was internally validated using 1,000 bootstrap resamples to assess optimism-corrected discriminative performance.ResultsSleep disorders were present in 62.9% of patients. Nine independent risk factors were identified: age ≥ 65 years (OR = 2.059), snoring history (OR = 1.980), prior stroke (OR = 2.036), lower ADL scores (OR = 1.839), higher HAMD (OR = 1.726) and NIHSS scores (OR = 1.677), decreased serum Hcrt (OR = 1.863), elevated NfH (OR = 2.020), and elevated IL-1β (OR = 1.793; all p < 0.05). Individual biomarker AUCs ranged from 0.742 to 0.781, whereas the combined three-biomarker model achieved a significantly superior AUC of 0.874 (sensitivity 88.82%, specificity 71.58%). Bootstrap internal validation yielded a mean optimism-corrected AUC of 0.861 (95% CI: 0.812–0.903), indicating robust model performance with minimal overfitting.ConclusionClinical variables alongside altered levels of Hcrt, NfH, and IL-1β serve as independent predictors of post-stroke sleep disorders. The combined three-biomarker panel, reflecting neuroendocrine dysregulation, axonal injury, and systemic inflammation, demonstrates substantially superior predictive accuracy over individual biomarkers and offers a clinically practical tool for early identification of high-risk patients.
[Articles] The presynaptic protein bassoon is a biofluid biomarker of synaptic pathology in multiple sclerosis
In conclusion, the presynaptic protein BSN can be quantified in plasma and CSF to assess synaptic pathologies. BSN elevation was already detectable at the earliest disease stages and persisted in progressive MS, underscoring continuous neurodegeneration in MS. Measuring synaptic proteins may complement established biomarkers of neuronal injury to enhance our understanding of neurodegeneration in MS.
At-Home Blood Test Screens for Early Dementia
A simple finger-prick blood test at home combined with online cognitive tests can reveal signs of Alzheimer’s disease, providing a convenient way to screen for early dementia.
The postal blood test, outlined in Nature Communications, is used to measure levels of two blood biomarkers linked with cognitive function: phosphorylated tau at amino acid 217 (p-tau217) and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP).
It could provide a way to screen for dementia at home and act as a triage resource to identify those at risk earlier and tailor treatments more effectively, particularly in remote or unsupervised settings.
“This work raises the potential for screening people for their risk without the need for clinic visits or complex clinical assessments,” said lead researcher Anne Corbett, PhD, from the University of Exeter.
“It would ensure the people at highest risk could be prioritized for monitoring and diagnosis, unlocking the best support and treatment for those that need it most.”
While blood biomarkers are increasingly being used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, scalable tools are needed to reach the 99% of individuals with early cognitive impairment who are not seen in specialist healthcare services.
In an attempt to develop these further, Corbett and team conducted a study involving 174 people, of whom 146 had normal cognition and 28 had dementia.
All were participants in the PROTECT study, a larger investigation of more than 30,000 adults that aims to understand how healthy brains age and why people develop dementia.
Blood samples were collected at home using self-administered capillary blood tests, which were sent for p-tau 217 and GFAP lab testing. Venous blood samples were also available for 40 patients.
p-tau217 has previously been highly accurate at detecting Alzheimer’s disease pathology and is approved by U.S. regulators for symptomatic patients undergoing investigation for cognitive complaints.
GFAP is associated with broader cognitive decline and has been shown to be associated with Aβ deposition and progression of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease.
Brain performance tests were found to correlate with levels of both proteins, with p-tau217 showing the strongest association.
Capillary p-tau217 was significantly higher in people with dementia compared to those without and was significantly associated with cognitive performance and function.
A combination of an 85% specificity threshold for capillary p-tau217 85% and episodic memory performance one standard deviation (SD) below benchmarked norms identified 9% of participants who were at potentially high risk, and who also showed significantly higher impairment in cognition and function.
Importantly, this threshold for impairment of episodic memory indicated a much milder level of impairment than the 1.5 SD change required to identify people with mild cognitive impairment, revealing its potential ability to spot signs at a preclinical stage.
Unexpectedly, even though ptau217 and GFAP both identified individuals with cognitive impairment, there was only a modest overlap in individuals who were positive for both GFAP and p-tau217, with GFAP identifying a different group of at-risk individuals. GFAP biomarker appeared to be associated with vascular risk, unlike p-tau217.
Researcher Clive Ballard, MD, PhD, also at Exeter, said: “Our approach of combining our robust cognitive testing with measuring proteins via a postal blood test could provide a straightforward, efficient and cost-effective method to reach large numbers of people in the community who would not otherwise be prioritized for the next steps of diagnosis or support and to optimize the clinical pathway to enable early detection of those at highest risk.”
The post At-Home Blood Test Screens for Early Dementia appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.
Biomarkers of ASD/ADHD and Factors Affecting Anxiety and Depression in Children and Young Adults
Conditions: ADHD – Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity; Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
Sponsors: University of Exeter; University of Southampton; University of Dublin, Trinity College; Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Jimma University; FUNDACION PARA LA INVESTIGACION HOSPITAL CLINICO SAN CARLOS; The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; University of Bari Aldo Moro
Not yet recruiting
Sponsors: University of Exeter; University of Southampton; University of Dublin, Trinity College; Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Jimma University; FUNDACION PARA LA INVESTIGACION HOSPITAL CLINICO SAN CARLOS; The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; University of Bari Aldo Moro
Not yet recruiting
The Future of DSM: Role of Candidate Biomarkers and Biological Factors
American Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 183, Issue 5, Page 317-324, May 01, 2026.
Protein Biomarkers in Practice: Strategies to Reduce Drug Development Risk
Drug development demands scientific rigor, sustained investment, and confident decision-making under uncertainty. As programs move from early discovery into clinical development, teams must balance biological complexity, timelines, and capital allocation— often without sufficient translational insight. Selecting the wrong target or patient population can result in costly delays and increased clinical risk.
Protein biomarkers are becoming central to how pharmaceutical leaders reduce that risk and guide strategy. Unlike static genomic associations, proteins provide dynamic, functional insights into disease biology, reflecting pathway activity, target engagement, and treatment response in real-time. Advances in high-throughput proteomic technologies have transformed protein biomarkers from exploratory tools into strategic assets applied across the drug development lifecycle.
When integrated early, biomarker-driven approaches can strengthen target validation, support proof-of-mechanism studies, enable more precise patient segmentation, and provide measurable indicators of efficacy and safety. The result is more informed decision-making, improved trial design, and greater confidence as programs advance.
This eBook is designed to deliver both strategic insight and practical guidance. It opens with a White Paper informed by expert perspectives from senior translational leaders at leading pharmaceutical organizations. These experts explore how protein biomarkers mitigate risk across the drug development continuum, from early target validation to clinical trial design, by strengthening biological confidence and enhancing decision quality.
Building on these strategic insights, the eBook presents seven real-world application examples that illustrate how these approaches are implemented in practice. Together, these perspectives provide readers with actionable frameworks and concrete use cases to help reduce uncertainty, optimize patient selection, improve trial efficiency, and make more confident, data-driven decisions earlier in development.
The post Protein Biomarkers in Practice: Strategies to Reduce Drug Development Risk appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
Markers of neuroinflammation in the CSF of patients with difficult to treat psychiatric disease
IntroductionThe immune system is recognized as participating in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disease and there is renewed interest in identifying biomarkers of this immune activation. MethodsWe measured serum and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) autoantibodies with other routine and novel markers of neuroinflammation, including CSF cytokines in patients with atypical psychiatric presentations of both psychotic and mood disorders (n=35). Their markers were compared with cohorts of non-inflammatory neurological disease (NIND) controls (n=18), patients with central nervous system (CNS) viral infection (n=22) and autoimmune encephalitis (AE; n=40). ResultsThe most common autoantibody detected in the serum of patients with psychiatric disease were anti-nuclear antibodies followed by thyroid autoantibodies. Few atypical psychiatric patients had abnormal conventional CSF markers of neuroinflammation (pleocytosis, oligoclonal bands, abnormal CSF IgG: albumin ratio). Further analysis of CSF revealed elevation of ITAC/CXCL11 in the psychiatric cohort. TARC/CCL17 was lower in the psychiatric cohort compared to other groups in a random-effects multinomial model, despite no significant differences on univariate analysis. When the values of CSF cytokines were examined in individual patients, six patients (17%) had at least one CSF cytokine greater than four standard deviations above the mean of the NIND cohort group. Extensive serological evaluation revised the diagnoses of six (17%) of our psychiatric group, and these patients’ showed improvement with immunosuppression. ConclusionOur results suggest a subset of people with atypical psychiatric disease may have a predominant immune contribution. This highlights the need for reevaluation and further consideration of differential diagnosis where patient presentations are not clinically typical, do not respond to conventional psychotropic treatment, or if other risk factors for autoimmunity are present.
Research trends and knowledge mapping of transcranial direct current stimulation in depression: a bibliometric study based on web of science, Scopus, and PubMed (2000-2025)
BackgroundDepressive disorders are clinically heterogeneous and mechanistically complex psychiatric conditions. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a key non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has expanded rapidly in both therapeutic application and mechanistic research. However, the field is marked by rapid publication growth, thematic diversity, and variability in evidence quality. A systematic quantitative synthesis is therefore needed to map the research landscape, identify hotspots, and inform future directions.MethodsA systematic search was conducted for English-language publications in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Scopus, and PubMed using the terms (“Transcranial direct current stimulation” OR “tDCS”) AND (“depression” OR “major depressive disorder” OR “depressive disorder” OR “MDD”). Only articles and reviews were included. Records from 2026 and non-research publications, including conference abstracts, editorials, letters, news items, and errata, were excluded. Deduplication was performed using DOI-based matching followed by title-assisted matching. Bibliometrix (R), VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used to analyze publication trends, contributions by countries/regions, institutions, authors, and journals, collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, thematic clustering, and burst terms. Citation analysis was based on WoSCC data only.ResultsResearch on tDCS for depression showed sustained growth, with marked acceleration after 2020 and a peak in 2024. The United States, Germany, and Brazil occupied central positions in both productivity and international collaboration, with the United States ranking first in publication volume. Major research hubs included the Universidade de São Paulo, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University, while Brain Stimulation, Journal of Affective Disorders, and Frontiers in Psychiatry were the leading publication venues. Highly cited studies mainly focused on neurophysiological mechanisms, pivotal randomized controlled trials, and evidence-based guidelines. Keyword analyses indicated a shift from early attention to cortical excitability, safety, and short-term efficacy toward a more integrated framework involving prefrontal-targeted stimulation, cognitive function, functional connectivity, treatment outcomes, and cross-disorder applications.ConclusiontDCS research in depression is entering a multidimensional and interdisciplinary phase, with increasing emphasis on network-level mechanisms and precision intervention. Functional connectivity is emerging as a potential biomarker for patient stratification and outcome prediction. Further progress depends on multicenter standardization, reproducible analytic pipelines, and high-quality comparative effectiveness research.
Rethinking triage for febrile children in low-resource settings
Nature Medicine, Published online: 01 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04387-6
Integrating clinical data with simple physiological measures or biomarkers improves triage of febrile children and could reshape frontline care in resource-limited settings.