Greer Murphy M.D., Ph.D.

Pharmacogenetics of Late-Life Depression

Murphy GM, In: Late-Life Mood Disorders, H. Lavretsky, M. Sajatovic, C. Reynolds, eds.. 2013; In Press (Oxford)

There have been relatively few studies on pharmacogenetic predictors of antidepressant response in the elderly. The focus has been primarily on either pharmacokinetic markers such as CYP2D6 polymorphisms that affect drug levels, or pharmacodynamics markers such as serotonin receptor and transporter polymorphisms that influence drug interactions with neurons. So far, nothing of demonstrated clinical value has emerged from these investigations of antidepressant pharmacogenetics in late-life depression. Psychiatric pharmacogenetics is handicapped by small sample sizes, lack of replication studies, and problems in study design. Many of these difficulties are shared with the broader pharmacogenetics field as a whole. However, with further research the potential exists to identify genetic markers that could guide prescribing of antidepressants specifically in the elderly population.