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.

Antonio L Teixeira is Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He also a professorial appointment at the Institute of Education and Research Santa Casa BH, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Dr. Teixeira did medical training in psychiatry, internal medicine and neurology, also training in cellular biology and immunology. Besides investigating the role of immune mechanism in the pathophysiology of cognitive and behavioral symptoms, he has investigated fluid-based biomarkers in different neuropsychiatric conditions. He has edited several books, including 'Immunopsychiatry' (Oxford University Press, 2019), 'Perinatal inflammation and adult psychopathology (Springer, 2020). 
Natalia P Rocha is an Assistant Professor at the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease & Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Rocha is a Pharmacist with training in basic and translational neuroscience, especially in the field of Neuroimmunology. In addition to studying neuroimmunology/inflammation associated with neurodegeneration, Dr. Rocha has dedicated herself to investigating biological and neuroimaging markers related to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Michael Berk is the Alfred Deakin Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Director of the IMPACT Strategic Research Centre at the same institution, and Honorary Professorial Fellow at Melbourne University and Monash University. Dr. Berk 's major interests are in the discovery and implementation of novel therapies and risk factors and prevention of psychiatric disorders, especially mood disorders. Dr. Berk is a world-renowned psychiatrist, with major contributions to the field and an impressive track of original publications.