But the sooner depression is discovered, the faster a treatment can be found \u2014 and researchers in Brazil have made a major breakthrough for the 21 million adults<\/a> that have at least one major depressive episode each year.<\/p>\n The research team has developed a portable saliva-based biosensor that measures levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).<\/p>\n BDNF is an important protein for brain health and growth. Low levels can indicate mental health conditions like depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, as well as overall cognitive decline.<\/p>\n With this new test, patients add a drop of saliva to the sensor, and within three minutes, results are delivered to a smartphone.<\/p>\n Testing for BDNF usually involves invasive and costly procedures that required lab visits. Now, for $2.19, this novel assessment provides an affordable and noninvasive alternative that can be done just about anywhere.<\/p>\n The test isn\u2019t available to the public, but experts hope this will be a breakthrough for mental health screenings in the near future.<\/p>\n Finding depressive markers<\/a> sooner can offer more effective treatment and prevent symptoms from becoming more severe.<\/p>\n For the many people who have depressive disorders<\/a>, persistent sadness and a loss of interest in almost every part of life can make work, school and relationships a daily struggle.<\/p>\n Typically, depression screenings are based on self-assessed psychological questionnaires<\/a>. Common signs<\/a> of depression include:<\/p>\n Feeling anxious or sad all the time<\/p>\n Not wanting to do your usual activities or hobbies<\/p>\n Feeling irritable or easily frustrated<\/p>\n Having trouble sleeping<\/p>\n Changes in appetite (eating more or less)<\/p>\n Having trouble concentrating<\/p>\n Feeling worthless or helpless<\/p>\n Thinking about suicide or hurting yourself<\/p>\n Typically, these symptoms last for several days or weeks at a time, and don\u2019t go away.<\/p>\n Doctors may refer to certain criteria listed by the American Psychiatric Association<\/a> as well. They might also do bloodwork<\/a> to check for thyroid function or vitamin deficiencies, as well as an MRI to check the brain.<\/p>\n While not a standalone diagnostic tool for depression, researchers and doctors alike hope that these saliva tests can provide better insight.<\/p>\n The researchers also hope that this transportable solution can be used to track cognitive health and provide better treatments in real time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new way to quickly detect depression is causing a literal spit take. Trusting a depressed brain to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297567,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[36261,1491,2754,97,259,260,3284],"class_list":{"0":"post-297566","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-biometrics","9":"tag-brains","10":"tag-depression","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-mental-health","13":"tag-mentalhealth","14":"tag-study-says"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/woman-taking-sample-dna-test-115603323.jpg\")
A new text can detect biomarkers related to depression, simply by collecting saliva. New Africa \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/depressed-woman-sitting-floor-covering-115474039_a5490f.jpg\")
The new test can detect depression sooner, providing better treatment and decreasing risk of symptoms. Marco \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n