Ischemic Stroke and Depression Biomarkers: Are There Specific Markers for Post-Stroke Depression?

Post-stroke depression (PD) is a complex multifactorial disease that affects over 30% of stroke survivors. Despite the high prevalence of the disease, important aspects of its classification, etiology, and pathogenesis are still not fully understood, which is complicated even further by significant difficulties in diagnostics and prevention. Subjective depression rating scales and physical examination as primary methods for diagnosis of post-stroke depression strongly depend on the doctor. The use of specific biomarkers may be effective, however, their identification, validation, and introduction to everyday practice continues to be a challenge. It is still not known whether potential biomarkers for post-stroke depression are a combination of depression and stroke markers, or whether they bear a certain specificity. The current review analyzes data on biomarkers shared by stroke, depression, and post-stroke depression. A number of PD biomarkers overlap with stroke and depression markers, however, some differences are also present (IFN-gamma, serum ferritin, VEGF, serotonin, dopamine, and miRNA expression). On the other hand, stroke has an impact on the expression of depression markers. To identify biomarkers specific for post-stroke depression, further extensive studies are necessary.