"Individual Response to Medication in Patients with a First Psychotic Episode, Genetic and Epigenetic Factors"

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder, affecting nearly 1% of the global population. Its symptoms can be categorized as positive, negative and cognitive. The First Episode in Psychosis can be manifested equally amongst men and women, usually during the last years of puberty or at the early beginning of the adult life. The nature of the disorder is considered to be multifactorial, including a possibility of predisposition, expressed or repressed via genetic and epigenetic individuality, as well as a possible environmental trigger. Stressful environmental events have been hypothesized to contribute to the manifestation of the disorder, thus the research of genes mediating the stress response and homeostasis, as well as their epigenetic regulation is necessary. The first-line treatment of psychotic symptoms includes the administration of second generation antipsychotics, targeting the positive symptoms. The severe side-effects caused by these drugs, underline the necessity of a more individualized therapy, including the research of possible diagnostic and treatment biomarkers. The approach of a clinical diagnosis based on biomarkers may help ameliorate the drug efficacy for each person, as well as the improvement of the individual lifestyle.

THEODORIDOU Daniela